Happy National Candy Cane Day!

Blogger of the Day: Celeste at Growing Up Veg

Celeste is the ideal vegan mom...besides baking up loads of donuts, Star Wars cupcakes and Strawberry Shortcake cakes, she volunteers at the local nature center, helps out with the annual Twin Cities Veg Fest and runs VegKins, a Twin Cities based group providing fun creative activities and support for plantloving families. Her lucky kids get to taste test everything from spaghettios to Southern-style pecan pie and her crunchychewy chocolateminty awardwinning candy cane cookies! And right around the corner is Celeste's specialty...sugarsmacked Valentine madness!  :)

Crushed candy canes make the perfect cookie topper because what else can you do with all those spiralstripey sweets?  ;)

Iced Chocolate Sugar Cookies

with Peppermint Candy Cane Topping

Butterscotch Pecan Spice Cupcakes

Easy Vegan Cream Cheese Wontons

French Toast Maple Tofu Sandwich
with "Cheezly" Hashbrowns and Spinach Chips

Black Bean Juicy Lucy

Basil Fritters (Foglie Di Basilico Fritte)

Crunchy Top Squash Casserole

Easy Pumpkin Pie Bites with Pecan Butter Creme Topping

Classic Chocolate Chip and Peanut Butter Chip Cookies

Banana Nut Butter Flax Muffins

Raspberry Chocolate Shortcake with Creme Filling

Is your family all vegan? Do you get to taste test vegan recipes? What's your favorite use for leftover candy canes?  ;)

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

Happy National Candy Day and National Fig Week!

Blogger of the Day: Clare at Calm Mind Busy Body

Clare is a healthy fitnessfocused mostly glutenfree vegan shooting fabulous films and photos with a bit of bellydancing and hula hooping on the side! Hop over to CMBB for simple dishes and health tips, plus these richly delicious fig treats and more easy sweets for National Candy Day!  :)

I consider dried figs one of nature's finest candies but if you'd like to dazzle them up, Clare's fig cups fill the bill. Feel free to add a swish of liqueur if you like a little spike with your dazzle.  ;)

Fig Chocolates

Raw Coconut Pistachio Cookies

Chocolate Almond Biscotti

Single Serving Healthy Carrot Cake

Crispy Creamy Banana Peanut Butter Spring Roll

Mini Blueberry Muffins

Spicy Chickpea Vegetable Pancakes

Sweet Potato Pizza Crust, Crispy Wasabi Sweet Potato Strips

and Spinach Chive Dipping Sauce

Cheezy Curry Sweet Potato Chunks

Easy Chocolate Truffles

Fudgey Truffles with Mesquite Caramel Filling

Chocolate Fig Swirls

Which compassionate candies are you craving today?  :)

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

Happy National Candy Corn Day!

Blogger of the Day: Grace at Food Fitness Fresh Air

Grace is a busy girl! Between biking, yoga and her professional photography (I love her stunning closeups!)...making rustic clay bowls and crafting beautiful cutting boards...drifting off to Paris and roadtripping to Vermont...she somehow finds time to create superyumfully gorgeous stuff like this crazycolorful candy corn!  :)

Candy Corn

Coconut Oat Granola

Pumpkin Coconut Overnight Oats

Curry Harvest Soup

Butternut Squash Salad with Pomegranate Seeds and Pecans

Fall Sweet Potato and Kale Sushi

Pumpkin Coconut Veggie Curry over Black Rice

Pasta with Shiitakes and Shredded Dijon Brussels Sprouts

Nori Brown Rice Bowls with Hoison Sauce

Crunchy Garlic Lentil Snack

Flourless Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

What sweet or salty treat are you munching on today?  :)

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

Happy Toffee Day!

Blogger of the Day: Claire at Almost Skinny Vegan Food

It's a crazybusy day today so as much as I'd groove on some real vegan toffee, I've got no time for watching, stirring and candy thermometering. Did someone say "easy toffee balls"? OhHeckYes!

Claire is a jane-of-all-trades...superfab photographer, artist, teacher, student, blogger and vegan wonderwoman! Her recipes are gluten-free and plant-focused with plenty of rockin' raw recipes (okay, okay...the toffee balls are coming). She's got loads of info and links on basic veganism and healthy diet tips too so check out her site!  Now get ready to roll!

Date 'Toffee' Puff Balls

Super Green Pomegranate Salad with 'Creamy' Orange Cashew Dressing

Pea Pesto Kale Pasta with Balsamic Pepper Tempeh Nuggets

'Cheesy' Broccoli Quinoa

Zucchini Pasta with Mushrooms in a 'Creamy' Avocado Sauce

Rosemary & Pumpkin Millet

Millet Stuffed Mushrooms

Baked Macaroni 'Cheese'

Choc Berry Crumble

Cacao and Orange Fudge Slices

Cacao and Apple Pot de Creme

Key links for quinoa...
Organic Red Quinoa Puffs
Kosher Mills Pop-Quin Puffed Quinoa Gluten-Free Cereal
Gogo Quinoa Royal Quinoa Puffs (Canada)

Or try puffing quinoa yourself...it's easy!
Alter Eco Organic Fair Trade Quinoa
Ancient Harvest Organic Quinoa
Bob’s Red Mill Organic Quinoa Grain
Bulk Organic Quinoa

What's your favorite form of toffee? Do you cook with grains? Have you ever popped quinoa? What did you do with it?  :)

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

Spinning Delights!

Happy National Candy Cane Day!
Hope you had a magnificent Christmas if you celebrated! Did you recycle your wrap? Re-gift your "it's just not me" presents? Donate duplicates to a resale shop? Yay for you!  :)

So what do you do with all those festively striped candy canes? Spin them the vegan way!

Minty Dark Chocolate Fudge Brownies with
Chocolate Ganache and Candy Cane Topping

from Anna at Herbivore Triathlete

Candy Cane Brownie Brandy Parfaits

from Keely at Gormandize

Chocolate Sugar Cookies with Candy Cane Frosting

from Celeste Hill via VegNews

Gluten-Free and Vegan Candy Cane “Oreos”

from Cara at Fork and Beans

White Chocolate and Candy Cane Dipped Almond Biscotti

from Noelle at Opera Singer in the Kitchen

Peppermint Fudge

from Hannah Kaminsky via Go Dairy Free

Candy Cane Bark

from Joni at Just The Food

Gluten-Free Vegan Chocolate Candy Cane Cupcakes

from Allyson Kramer

Vegan Chocolate Cream Marshmallow Candy Cane Pie

from Christine at No Meat Athlete

Vegan Candy Cane Ice Cream

from Ashley at edible perspective

Santa's North Pole Special Shake

from Kathy at Healthy. Happy. Life.

Do you hang candy canes as tree ornaments? Do you use other edibles as decorations like cranberry and popcorn strings? What's your favorite Christmas candy?