Happy Brussels Sprouts Day and World Kindness Day!

Blogger of the Day: Christy at The Blissful (& Fit) Chef
Pubs: Blissful Bites: Vegan Meals That Nourish Mind, Body, and Planet

Happy World Kindness Day! Do something supernice today for someone you love or like or don't even know, just for the screaming fun of it...and yes, that includes animals too!  :)

Brussels Sprouts are extrahealthy and easy to eat if you learn a few tips...
• Choose fresh Brussels that are green and solidly firm...take a pass if they're yellowed or puffy or squishy.
• Clean them thoroughly...soak, swirl and rinse to ditch any bugs or dirt.
• Don't overcook them...you don't want sprout mush.
• Or just use frozen Brussels!  :)

You can easily find videos on cooking up Brussels. Steaming and roasting are the must popular plates but grilling, deepfrying and microwaving pop up a lot too. The secret to steaming is to cook your sprouts "al dente" like pasta...you want them tender on the outside and firm on the inside. Depending on their size this can take 5 to 10 minutes or more...you'll get the timing right after a few taste tests. The secret to roasting is babysit them! Ovens vary and sprout sizes vary so Brussels can easily burn, though some people like that crispy chip effect. If you're microwaving, make sure you cover them. Bsprouts love to explode...that hard little center shoots out like a punky rocket. Trust me on this. Christy shows you how to safely and quickly blanch them in the "How to Cook Brussels Sprouts You Will Love" intro to this recipe. Blanching is fast, easy and preserves that vibrant Brusselgreen color, perfect with the earthy noodles, bright red peppers and sunshiny orange slices.  :)

Vibrant is a great way to describe Christy too...she's so fun and inspiring when it comes to plantpowered health! She's a vegan bodybuilder and Certified Personal Trainer, as well as a wellness coach and professional chef. Give her delicious sprouts & soba a try, then prepare for some serious muscle sculpting!  :)

Brussels and Soba with Red Peppers & Orange Tahini Dressing

Asian Stuffed Avocado

Yam Boats with Chickpeas, Chard & Cashew Dill Sauce

Butternut Squash Tacos with Vegan Tempeh Chorizo

Popeye Cakes with Curry Avocado Sauce

Red Curry Tofu Scramble

Pumpkin-spiced Polenta with Sauteed Veggies

Lemon-Kissed Brussels with Butternut Squash & Toasted Almonds

Orange Coconut Cornmeal Muffins

Pear Lemon Coffee Cake Muffins

Lemon Pistachio Shortbread Cookies

Hazelnut Brownies

A few of Christy's fitness features...
Vegan Body Revolution
Definition Magazine
Workout Tips
Yoga, Fitness and Wellness Retreats

How do you like your Brussels? Do you work out? Where do you go for workout advice? What little acts of kindness are you doing today? :)

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

Happy Kimchi Day!

Blogger of the Day: Cobi at Veggietorials

It's actually "Cook Something Bold & Pungent Day" which screamed kimchi to me so I'm rolling with it.  :)

Did you know you can buy vegan kimchi? Find it at your local Asian specialty store, try Trader Joe's or Whole Foods or buy online...make sure you check the ingredient list!
• Firefly Kitchens Kimchi
• King's Asian Gourmet Kimchi
• Mother-in-Law’s Vegan Napa Cabbage Kimchi

You can make it yourself too!
• EcoSalon
• Serious Eats
• Recipe suggestions from Chowhound

Now that you've got it, use it! Cobi's spectacular kimchi dumplings are bundles of delight and her kimchi rice balls are a delicious stroke of brilliance! Her recipes range from elegant potato salad to yumful Chi Chi Dango. Cobi is warm and welcoming and generous with her time and talents so I know you'll enjoy exploring her recipes and reviews and her funfabulous videos, praised in Le Cordon Bleu's 5 Best Youtube Cooking Channels!  :)

KimChi Edamame Dumplings

Okonomiyaki

Red Lentil Coconut Curry Soup

Bibimbap Bites

Vegan Takoyaki

Kalbi Style Baked Tofu & Pajeon

Tortilla Chip Queso Casserole

Vegan Spam Musubi

Fermented Tea Leaf Salad

Coconut Mango Chia Pudding

Chocolate Chai Bread Pudding with Haupia Cream Sauce

KimChi Fried Rice Balls

Have you tried kimchi? Do you make it or buy it? Which restaurants have you found serve fabulous kimchi? What other bold and pungent foods do you like?  :)

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

Happy National Lasagna Day!

Blogger of the Day: Janet at the taste space
Pubs: A Vegan Dinner Party

I clearly remember the first day I rode a bike. My dad had been teaching me for weeks, but I kept wobbling like a drunken clown on a greased tightrope. Then one summer evening came along that sent our family backyard party scurrying inside because of a sudden downpour. The food was hauled in, the kids descended to the basement for ping pong and monopoly, and the adults stirred cocktails and gossiped and noshed on leftovers. I wandered out to the garage, empty at the time, and decided to practice riding my bike solo. Back and forth, round and round, I wobbledstopped, wobbledstopped, wobbledstopped until one supercalifragilistic moment when I rode across the whole garage. Which I admit isn't exactly the Tour de France...but give me credit for persistence and determination.  ;)

My little golden flyer bike got some serious mileage that summer but nothing like what Janet's bike must get every day. In addition to creating some of the most delicious vegan dishes on the planet, she cycles some serious terrain including the grueling Shiner GASP and the challenging Rideau route with her dad. She definitely glides a happy groove when it comes bikes, balls and all sorts of yum, which brings us to today's food holiday...

Mention lasagna and people get weakkneed and dizzydrooly within seconds! While a bigfatslab of cheezeheavy layers can spin me superhungry, summer calls for a lighter slice. Janet makes it happen with easy zucchini and crazygood cauliflower cheeze. Time to stack it up!  :)

Nut-Free Raw Lasagna

Mango Curry Chickpea Salad Wraps

Mexican Zucchini Lasagna

Cheater Tlacoyos with Nopales (Cactus)

Dal Bhat (Nepalese Mountain Lentil Curry)

Kim-Chi-lla (Kimchi Chickpea Flour Pancake)

Dillicious Yellow Tofu Scramble
with Venezuelan-Style Mini Arepas

Thai Kelp Noodle Salad with Mango and Lima Beans

Almost Raw Chocolate Banana Crepes
with Almond-Coconut Cream and Cherries

Savoury Oatmeal with Vegan Ponzu Sauce

Raw Strawberry Pudding Pie

Raw Key Lime Pie

Name your favorite lasagna...how do you like to layer it? Do you remember the first time you rode a bike? Do you still go riding? Describe your favorite ride. :)

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

Happy Jicama Day!

Blogger of the Day: Susan at Rawmazing
Pubs:
eBooks...
• Rawmazing Transitional Foods
• Rawmazing Holidays
• Rawmazing Frozen Desserts
Paperbacks/Kindle...
• Rawmazing Desserts
• Rawmazing Easy Raw Food
• Rawmazing: Over 130 Simple Raw Recipes for Radiant Health
• Rawmazing Desserts: Delicious and Easy Raw Food Recipes for Cookies, Cakes, Ice Cream, and Pie

Rawmazing pairs Susan's camera talent with her kitchen wizardry to bring you crazydelicious raw vegan meals of every color and flavor. Susan is high raw which means her vegan diet is about 80% raw and extra healthy! She's a fabulous photographer so get ready for some supergorgeous yummable stuff!  :)

Jicama's been around for centuries, favored for it's sweet crunch and easy snackability. Peel it, slice it, hit it with salt & pepper, your favorite spices or a dunk of dip and you're done!  :)
Jicama trivia...
• Jicama (HIC-a-ma), also called Mexican Yam Bean, is a brown-skinned root vegetable.
• It resembles a turnip but it is a member of the bean family.
• Jicama, which is peeled before eating, is crisp and white and its mild flavor is similar to a water chestnut.
• Jicama is used raw in salads; or boiled and baked like a potato.
• Nutrient content: Low in calories and fat, good source of Vitamin C, and contains some potassium, iron and calcium.

A few of Susan's jicama hits and a small sampling of her vast rawmazingness...

Jicama and Melon Salad with Cumin Cucumber Dressing

Watermelon Jicama Mint Salad

Avocado Jicama Dill Salad

Raw Jicama Chips

Corn Kale Chips w Chunky Guac

Stuffed Avocados with Chipotle “Mayo”

Mushroom Walnut Veggie Burgers

Collard Wraps with Turmeric Spread

Curry Carrot Salad

Raw Blackberry and Mango Almond Nut Pâté Salad

Cinnamon and Fruit Chia Pudding

Raw Cinnamon Buns

Pluot Tart

Cherry Tartlets with Hazelnut Almond Crust

Blackberry Lime Hearts

Have you tried jicama? Raw or cooked? How much of your diet is raw? Which of Susan's recipes is the most rawmazing to you?  ;)

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

Sources...
• Jicama Photo
• Andean Botany & Nasca Pottery Images
• Jicama Image & Trivia
• Recipe photo courtesy of Susan Powers at Rawmazing

Happy Ratatouille Day!

Blogger of the Day: Grace at Earthy Feast

A new veggie adventure opened over the weekend...Ratatouille the Ride at Disneyland Paris. Not the wildest ride in the world but supercute if you're a fan of the movie! Hop aboard for a video tour...
Disneyland Paris Ratatouille The Adventure Onride

Six Flags Great America was our favorite summer playground as kids...we'd hit it at least half a dozen times a year, occasionally playing hooky from work as we got into our teens. You only live once, right? We tried to cover all the rides from the leisurely carousel to the superspectacular loopdaloops. I could spend all day on the water rides at any park...there's nothing better than a sizzling hot day spent getting drenched while speeding down a slide or bouncing in a river raft. Except sizzling hot drizzly days when the park is barely peopled and you can zoom through empty lines to ride ride ride!  :)

Let's celebrate the thrills of summer with a rockin' rollin' ratatouille, full of vibrant veggies, a natural for National Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Month. Grace's gorgeous Earthy Feast version will knock you for a loop!  ;)

Eggplant & Tofu Ratatouille with Thai Basil

Edamame & Wild Rice Bites with Roasted Carrot Ginger Dressing

Lemongrass Coconut Soup

Black Bean Spaghetti Bowl with Tahini Miso Dressing

Samosa Summer Salad

Quinoa Lentil Chickpea Salad with Tahini Dressing

Chana Masala with Fresh Coconut + Spicy Pineapple Salad

Orange Marmalade Glazed Tempeh with Broccoli & Black Rice

Beer + Harissa Braised Tempeh with Farro & Roasted Root Vegetables

Zucchini Pesto ‘Pasta’ with Chia Mushroom ‘Meatballs’

Red, White & Blue Smoothie

Are you a Ratatouille fan? Have you been to a theme park lately? Do you groove on roller coaster rides? Which is your favorite? (I love watching these videos...so much contagious laughter, plus it's too funny that people are surprised they get wet on a water ride!)  :)

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

Happy National Spanish Paella Day!

Blogger of the Day: Emily at Fig and Basil

Paella is an exuberantly colorful and flavorful dish arising from the spinningly gorgeous Valencia region of Spain on the Mediterranean coast. Often a part of community celebrations and food-driven festivals, it is traditionally prepared with all sorts of local fare including little innocent snails and shrimp. Emily kindly replaces these snatched-from-the-sea beings with ground sea vegetables to achieve that briny vibe...so smart! She grinds her own but you can buy an easy seasoning mix like seaweed gomasio, or you can use any flavored salt you wish  (or just skip it). She also serves her Spicy Paella Soup with Lemon Saffron Rice (recipe provided at the link) but you can serve it with any type of rice that you like.  :)

Emily is a Holistic Nutritionist/Brilliant Designer by trade...her blog is just dripping with going-to-make-you-hungry vegan lusciousness. She shows off fabulous photos, step-by-step instructions and helpful healthy info. And a true love for Spain, so she has not one but two versions of Paella!  :)

Spicy Paella Soup

Artichoke Paella

Cheezy Mexican Noodles

Indian Dahl Stew

Coconut Curry Bisque with Mushrooms

Smoked Tofu Rice Wraps with Spicy Peanut Ginger Dip

Mushroom & Asparagus Quinoa Risotto

Hummus Burgers

Portobello Tacos

Ultimate Pancakes

Homemade Dairy-free Ice Cream

Where was the best paella you've ever eaten? What veggies and extras would you put in it? Have you visited the sunny coast of Spain? Who would you share your paella pan with?  ;)

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