Sunday, March 31, 2013

Happy Cherish A Chick Day! :)

Happy Oranges and Lemons Day too!

from Adriana at Vegan Magic

from Vegan Victuals

from Maria and Kate at Rooted Vegan

from Laurence at Vegandlishes

from Vegan Lisa at Vegan Culinary Crusade

On Sale!
At Sendik's Food Market...California Bagged Navel Oranges through 4/2/13

Don't forget...
Snuggle a bunny!
Hug a hen!
Rescue a rabbit!
And cherish a chick!

Wednesday, March 20, 2013

Ravioli of the Sweetest Kind!

March 20th is National Ravioli Day, and how can you resist ravioli that tastes like a Fig Newton? This one's supposed to be for dessert but I really don't think they'd last until then!

from Allyson at Manifest Vegan via Vegan Peace

Absolutely Raviolutionary...

from Dynise at Urban Vegan
from PETA
from Sarma Melngailis via G Living

from Nate at VeganDad
from Lee at The Vegan Version
from Lee at The Vegan Version
from Laura at The First Mess

from Carey at Reclaiming Provincial

from Tess, The Blender Girl

from Taymer at Vegan In The Sun

from Amy at Fragrant Vanilla Cake

Be sure to check the refrigerated and frozen sections of your local grocery store to find vegan ravioli if you don't feel like whipping them up yourself. Big chains like Whole Foods Market and Wegman's sell them and lots of local independent grocers and health food stores often have locally-made ravioli too!
Here are a few brands to look for...
Bite-size and Jumbo Ravioli from Tofutti
3 kinds of Tofu Ravioli from Soy Boy
Organic Butternut Squash Ravioli from Rising Moon Organics
Tofu Spinach Ravioli from Candle Cafe (from NYC's legendary all-vegan Candle 79 family!)
Serve with your favorite pasta sauce or pan-fry them...yumza!

On Sale around town...Walnuts!
At Outpost Natural Foods through 4/2/13.  :)

What's your favorite ravioli stuffing?

High Hopes for Chocolate Treats!

Recently I was fortunate enough to win a fabulous giveaway from wonderfully gracious Holly at Traveling Pink Lips! And it was for one of my biggest weaknesses in the world...Peanut Butter Cups. Not just any ole PBC, but superamazing Vegan Peanut Butter Cups from High Hopes Vegan Bakery!

Cynthia at High Hopes makes all sorts of delicious 100% vegan treats with gluten-free and nut-free options too. Here's a speedy peek at her current menu...
Muffins: French Toast, Seasonal Fruit, Chocolate Chip, Poppy Seed...
Breads: Sundried Tomato and Basil Loaf, Banana Walnut Loaf, Focaccia Bread...
Cookies: Lavender Shortbread, Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter, GF Oatmeal, Kitchen Sink...
Cupcakes: Double Chocolate, Banana Split, Coconut, Peanut Butter and Chocolate...
Cakes: Carrot, Vanilla, Chocolate, Cookies and Cream...
Mini-Donuts, Cinnamon Rolls, Baklava, Fruit Bars, Pies, Brownies, Macarons, Chocolate Clusters, Truffles...
and Jumbo-sized Peanut Butter Cups that will spin you silly with delight! They are huge! Wide and thick with equal layers of chocolate/PB/chocolate, not just a gob of peanut butter with a brittle chocolate shell. They are just hard enough to stay beautifully shaped, but soft enough to slowly sink your teeth into and enjoy every second of it.  :)
They melt in your mouth, like ice cream on a hot radiator. They're smooth and rich and so superyumful! I don't know how Cynthia found the secret recipe for these chocolatey cups of vegan magic, but I'm so hooked!
And so grateful to Holly and Cynthia...thank you so much for the awesome giveaway! Be sure to visit their websites for more creative vegan magic!

Tuesday, March 19, 2013

A Raisin By Any Other Name...

Dried currants are on sale at Outpost Natural Foods...but ohgoodgolly the sale ends today!
Did you know dried currants are really baby raisins? Yep, not dehydrated red, white or black currants. Learn something new every day.  ;)
Now what to do with them?

For anyone celebrating St. Patrick's Week...

from Amy at Fragrant Vanilla Cake
from Terry at Vegan Latina

Or Easter...

from The Vegetarian Society
from Nate at Vegan Dad

Or just with an ache to bake!

from Kristin at Gringa Cooking in Mexico
from Sarah at Eat2Thrive: Vegan Adventures

from Deb at Altered Plates
from Lisa's Project: Vegan
from Kelly at Vegan Thyme 
from Jenni at The Urban Poser

For me, it's Vegan Oatmeal Peanut Butter Currant Chocolate Chip Cookies from KD at Your Daily Vegan...yummarific!

Monday, March 18, 2013

To Raisin or Not To Raisin? That is The Question.

It's Oatmeal Cookie Day...perfect holiday for a sleepy, snowy Monday.
Yes, snow. Giant flakes tumbling from the sky. Lots and lots of them.
Obviously the answer to snowoverdose is to bake oatmeal cookies.  :)
Let's do a yumfully easy one...
from Ashley Palmer at PETA

Oodles of oatness...
Vegan Oatmeal Cookies
with chocolate chips from PETA
from Lynn at Scissors and Spice

from Julia's (Vegan) Kitchen

from Debbie at Maple ♥ Spice

from Kelly at V for Vegan

But wait...to raisin or not to raisin?
I love raisins but not usually not as an ingredient in cooked things. Keep them out of my rice please, and definitely not in my cinnamon rolls.
But oatmeal raisin cookies are an exception, especially if they're thick and chewy and spicy!  :)

from Mattie at VeganBaking

from Julia's (Vegan) Kitchen

from Hannah at Bittersweet

from Susan at Rawmazing

from Jennifer at Sweet On Veg

from Mrs Pine Nut at Too Cheap for Pine Nuts

How do you like your oatmeal cookies? With raisins? Iced? Thick and chewy or thin and crispified?

Sunday, March 17, 2013

Happy Lucky Shamrock Day! ;)

May your pockets be heavy and your heart be light,
May good luck pursue you each morning and night.
~ Irish Blessing


Today we're baking up batches of cookies and giving them to friends wrapped up in gold cupcake liners...little Pots O' Sugary Gold.  :)

from Hannah at Bittersweet

from Amy at Fragrant Vanilla Cake

What's your favorite Irish food? I love big warm chunks of Vegan Irish Soda Bread loaded up with vegan butter or homemade jam.  :)
Cheers!

Saturday, March 16, 2013

Inspired by the Isle


This Ireland-inspired menu highlights the two key ingredients in the traditional Irish Colcannon...potatoes and kale.

First a quick rundown of the many flavors and colors of kale for anyone new to the current kale craze...
Kale: Description from The World's Healthiest Foods
"The beautiful leaves of the kale plant provide an earthy flavor and more nutritional value for fewer calories than almost any other food around. Although it can be found in markets throughout the year, it is in season from the middle of winter through the beginning of spring when it has a sweeter taste and is more widely available.
Kale is a leafy green vegetable that belongs to the Brassica family, a group of vegetables including cabbage, collards, and Brussels sprouts that have gained recent widespread attention due to their health-promoting, sulfur-containing phytonutrients. It is easy to grow and can grow in colder temperatures where a light frost will produce especially sweet kale leaves. There are several varieties of kale; these include curly kale, ornamental kale, and dinosaur (or Lacinato or Tuscan) kale, all of which differ in taste, texture, and appearance. The scientific name for kale is Brassica oleracea.
Curly kale has ruffled leaves and a fibrous stalk and is usually deep green in color. It has a lively pungent flavor with delicious bitter peppery qualities.
Ornamental kale is a more recently cultivated species that is oftentimes referred to as salad savoy. Its leaves may either be green, white, or purple and its stalks coalesce to form a loosely knit head. Ornamental kale has a more mellow flavor and tender texture.
Dinosaur kale is the common name for the kale variety known as Lacinato or Tuscan kale. It features dark blue-green leaves that have an embossed texture. It has a slightly sweeter and more delicate taste than curly kale."

Cultivars of Kale from Johnny's Selected Seeds

And an answer to the question

Now let's see how some creative cooks have interpreted that Irish combo the vegan way!

from Vegan Richa

Food Love: How to Cook Kale
from Outpost Natural Foods
Emerald Sesame Kale
from Outpost Natural Foods
Potato Kale Cakes
from Sharon at The Vegan Tummy
Potato Kale Cakes aka Aloo Kale Tikkis
from Mythreyi at Yum! Yum! Yum!
Calming Kale, Carrot, Sweet Potato and Bean Soup
from Dawn at Florida Coastal Cooking
Colcannon Puffs
from Susan at FatFree Vegan Kitchen
Black Quinoa, Sweet Potato Kale Cakes
from Heather at YumUniverse
Sweet Potato-Lentil Burgers and Kale Pesto
from Alanna at The Model House Wife
Healthy Hash Brown Casserole
from Susan at FatFree Vegan Kitchen
Chocolate Almond Kale Crunchers
from Heather at YumUniverse
Chocolate Kale Chips
from Sonnet at For the Love of Food

And finally, a round-up of recipe round-ups for a vegan-tastic St. Patrick's Day!
Crave-able Recipe Round-Up – Vegan St. Patrick’s Day
from Gretchen of Chic Vegan
St. Patrick's Day Round Up
from Jo and Sue
Celebrate St.Patrick’s Day with The Shannons & Dewey McNiff
from Meet The Shannons
St. Patrick's Day Menu Ideas
from PETA
Green Meal Ideas for St. Patrick's Day
from PETA
5 Necessary St. Patrick's Day Recipes
from PETA
St Patrick's Day
from The Guardian
How to Throw a Festive Vegan St. Patty’s Party
from VegNews
The Ultimate Vegan St. Patricks Day Guide
from Your Daily Vegan

Cheers!