Happy National Barbecue Month!

Blogger of the Day: John at JohnSchlimm.com
Pubs:
Grilling Vegan Style
The Cheesy Vegan
The Tipsy Vegan
Stand Up!: 75 Young Activists Who Rock the World, And How You Can, Too!

John is an artist, writer, vegan cook and compassionate activist who enthusiastically inspires everyone to get involved! If you care about the rights of all living beings then ACT...volunteer, protest, write, whatever you can do to make the world a better kinder happier place!  :)

He also rocks a grill in vegan style with everything from dazzling Rainbow Carrots With Cilantro Chile Drizzle to heart-healthy Grilled Vegetable Pizza to sublime Tex-Mex Tempeh for Two! Give a sizzle to his tasty Italian Burgers or change up the spices and make a slew of Mex Burgers or Curry Burgers or whatever spins your spurs!  :)

Italian Herb Burgers on Focaccia Bread

(includes his radio interview with helpful grilling tips!)

Grilled Jalapeno Poppers

Grilled Corn and Piquant Sauce

String Bean & Arugula Salad

Tattooed Watermelon Salad

Cheesy chat and recipes too!

Lemony Linguine with Walnut Parmesan or Almond Parmesan

Flying Buffalo Pizza

Baked Cauliflower-Parmesan Penne

Now pour on some more!

Tropical Kebabs With Raspberry and Cointreau Dip

Carousing Cucumber Rounds with Rummy Hummus

Reveling Red Cabbage, Apple and Walnut Salad

Got grilling plans this month? What will you be BBQ'ing?  :)

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

Happy Fresh Fennel Day and National Absinthe Day!

Blogger of the Day: Maria at Scandi Home

In honor of National Absinthe Day, today we're celebrating the fresh crunchy goodness of Florence fennel, aka finocchio, a magic ingredient in distilling that mysterious spirit. An eye-catching cousin of the common carrot, fennel resembles an elegant French showgirl...its shiny white bulbhead is topped with a magnificently flamboyant headdress of feathered emerald leaves. It's low cal and high vitamin C, and its rich licorice-like taste is refreshingly sweet. Springtime is the perfect season for it and lots of salads too so start some healthy fennel munching!   :)

Maria's got plenty of fennel and salad recipes to start you off, along with loads of lush travel and design photos. She's a Scandinavian-turned-Sydney citizen, interior designer and creative stylist so everything on her blog glows gorgeously yumful!  :)

Marinated Fennel and Pear Salad

Fennel and Persimmon Salad with Buckwheat-Sesame Sprinkle

French Lentil Salad with Chanterelle Mushrooms

Kale and Freekeh Soup

Roasted Beets with Black Rice and Kale

Chocolate-Blueberry Pudding

Cauliflower and Fennel Soup

Coconut Balls

Queen Muffins

Oven-Baked 3-Grain Porridge

How do you feel about fennel? Are you in a salad mood for springtime? Have you sipped absinthe? What's your favorite absinthe cocktail?  :)

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

Conquering The Beast

UPDATE!
As of July 2014, Barnivore has declared most of the Kahlua lineup Vegan Friendly! 
See the details here...
http://www.barnivore.com/search?keyword=kahlua
But you can still make your own if you like.  :)

Bone char...you are a sinister beast.

I cruised over to Barnivore.com last week to look up the veganosity of a liqueur and BAM! right there on the front page loomed the shocking words...

Kahlua ... Not Vegan Friendly

All of their products are now considered NVF, including Kahlua Hazelnut, Kahlua Mocha, Kahlua Vanilla and so on.
The company stated in November 2012 that the sugars they used were not bone-char processed, but an update check by Barnivore in August 2013 confirmed that Kahlua's sugar supplier uses "natural charcoal which may contain bone char".

Kahlua Company...have you gone off the deep end? Are you really willing to alienate legions of liqueur-loving vegans?

Well go ahead, cuz as it turns out, we don't need you. What we can't find, we make. Our way...

Homemade Coffee Liqueur and Dairy Free White Russian

from Jessica at Clean Green Simple

Revamped Coffee Liqueur, Dairy Free White Russian and Watching Elf Cocktail

from Jess at Get Sconed!

Homemade Kahlua

from The Spicy Vegan

Homemade Kahlua

from Anne at A Party Style

(Supercute bottles from Nicole at Diary of a Mad Crafter)

Now that you've got it, crazy it up...

Vegan Kahlua Hot Fudge

from Dana at Minimalist Baker

Kahlua Crinkle Cookies

from Christina-Marie at Sexy Vegan Mama

Vegan Chocolate-Tahini Timbales

from Joseph Shuldiner via The Guardian

Hazelnut Kahlúa Cookies

from Mihl at seitan is my motor

Kahlua Cream Cheese Swirl Brownies

from Jes at Eating Appalachia

No-bake, Vegan Kahlua Chocolate Cheesecake

from Ally at Made of Stars

Vegan Kahlua Chocolate Cheesecake

from Allysia at The Real Meal

Triple-Threat Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Filling and Kahlua Ganache Icing

from Bryanna at Notes from the Vegan Feast Kitchen

Chocolate-Kahlua Birthday Cake

from Rebecca at Blissfully Vegan

Vegan Mexican Hot Chocolate Pancakes with Warm Vegan Cinnamon-Orange-Kahlua-Pecan Syrup

from Betsy at The Blooming Platter of Vegan Recipes

Take that bone char! You are an evil nemesis, but it's vegans for the win every time!  ;)

Last Gasp

Last but not least, today is also National Brandied Fruit Day...   ;)

"Brains in a Jar" a.k.a. Figs in Brandy
from Marilla at Cupcake Rehab

Stormin' Weather ;)

Oh so stunningly gorgeous this weekend for everything from camping to cookouts to Cajun crazyfun at Bastille Days! Now all I need is a vegan croissant!  ;)
Tomorrow is not only Bastille Day but it's National Grand Marnier Day too, so buy up a boatload of raspberries on sale at Sendik's and storm a Grand Berry Bastille!

Yellow Coffee Cake with Raspberries
from Anni and Heikki at Tofu for Two

Coconutty Apricot Cake with Raspberry Sauce
from Anni and Heikki at Tofu for Two

Berry Jumble Puff Pastry
from Sangeeta at Sane Cooking

Vegan Fresh Fruit Tart
from Carol at Vegan Splendor

Layered Chocolate-Raspberry Mousse
from Vegetarian Times

Minted Hibiscus and Raspberry
from Williams-Sonoma

Berry Stomp Cocktail
from Jessica at allParenting

The Byblos
from The Nibble

Laissez les framboises rouler!  ;)

What are you stormin' this weekend?

A Spice of Wine and Cinnamon

Cheers to National Mulled Wine Day!
An excellent end to a brisk sunny day...

Hot Mulled Wine

from Jennifer-June at Sweet Vegan

A few other feisty brews...
My Warm, Spicy Wine
from Alicia Silverstone at The Kind Life
Mulled Wine
from Mattie at VeganBaking
Perfect Mulled Wine
from Felicity Cloake via The Guardian

Okay, officially it's National Mulled Wine Day, but how about an option for those who don't take a shine to wine? Well since mulled wine is made with cinnamon and cinnamon is my favorite spice and it's incredibly healthy for you, and since there is no holiday commemorating it (can you believe it?!) I dare to declare today National Cinnamon Day!

Plus it gives me an excuse to use Penzeys' wonderful Cinnamon!  :)

Salted Vegan Mexican Hot Chocolate

from Gabby's Gluten-Free

I will always have a dreamy weakness for Cinnamon Candied Apples...

Cinnamon Apples

from Alma Dinsmore at Taste of Home

Variations (mostly differing by the ratio of water/sugar/candies):
Cinnamon Candy Apples
from Paula at A Simple Home Cook
Cinnamon Candied Apples
from Angie Marquart at Taste of Home
Cinnamon Apples
from CaliforniaJan at Food.com
Cinnamon Candied Apples
from Heidi at Adventures of a Gluten Free Mom

Delicious Flavored Candy Apples

from Darla at Bakingdom

Variation: Candied Apples from PETA

Candied Pie Apple

from karl4205 at VegWeb.com

Variation: Candy Apple Pie from Dottie Adams at Allrecipes.com

More Cinnamon Grins!
Blueberry Peach Cinnamon Smoothie
from wendylouise
Banana, Peanut Butter, Cinnamon, Ginger and Oatmeal Smoothie
from Vegan Epicurean
Cinnamon Bun Granola
from Lisa at Vegan Culinary Crusade
Sweet Tofu, Cinnamon, Walnut and Apricot Spread
from Vegan Epicurean
Cinnamon Stewed Apples
from R Starr at The Vegan Chronicle
Spicy Cinnamon Three Bean Chili
from Kristina at spabettie
Individual Cinnamon Pear Crisp
from Amanda at Pickles & Honey
Cinnamon Brownie Cookies
from Allyson at Manifest Vegan

Can you tell I reeeeally like cinnamon?  ;)
What's your favorite spice?