Friday, December 26, 2014

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?  ;)












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!

Thursday, December 25, 2014

Happy National Pumpkin Pie Day and Santa Day!

Blogger of the Day: Cathy at Straight Up Food

I really want today to be Cinnamon Toast Day too because it's one of my favorite Santa Day early morning treats...or afternoon snack or midnight munchie. Fast, simple and so squealingly yumful, and the best breakfast when you're a kid, waiting for your parents to wake up so you can open Christmas presents.  ;)  But it's officially Pumpkin Pie Day so here's an easy punkin fix that you can quickly whip up, happily snack on and share with everyone!  :)

Cathy is a plantbased teaching chef writing healthy recipes that anyone can make...she provides clear instructions and suggestions and always answers your questions. She shares loads of vegan love here...food facts, cooking tips, helpful meal plans and supernutritious stuff that's straight up delish!  :)













What's your favorite Santa Day treat?  :)

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

Wednesday, December 24, 2014

Happy Vegan Nog Day!

Blogger of the Day: Joni at Just The Food
Pubs:
500 Vegan Recipes with Celine Steen
The Best Recipes For Vegan Soups, Stews, Pastas, Casseroles & More with Celine Steen
The Best Vegan Breads Recipes with Celine Steen
The Best Vegan Breakfast Recipes with Celine Steen
The Best Vegan Desserts with Celine Steen
The Best Vegan Dinner Recipes with Celine Steen
The Best Veggie Burgers on the Planet
The Complete Guide to Vegan Food Substitutions with Celine Steen
The Complete Guide to Even More Vegan Food Substitutions with Celine Steen
Cozy Inside
Fusion Food in the Vegan Kitchen
Going Vegan with Gerrie L.Adams
Hearty Vegan Meals for Monster Appetites with Celine Steen
Home-Cooked Vegan Comfort Food with Celine Steen
Vegan Food Gifts with Kurt Halsey and Celine Steen
***Use coupon code WINTER14 for 50% off at Qbookshop through Dec 31st including Joni's books!***

Joni really likes writing cookbooks and that's making millions of vegans very happy! In my stack of most used and bookmarked and dogeared and doodled-in cookbooks, I've got at least three of Joni's books...500 Vegan Recipes, Best Veggie Burgers (of course!) and Vegan Food Gifts which has gotten a lot of use in the past few weeks. Going Vegan is getting gifted to a few of my not-yet-vegan family members...Joni and her superdelicious sandwiches and tacos and cakes, cakes and more cakes will convince them to cross to the vegan side!  ;)

I try every year not to buy vegan nog because I always end up drinking the whole dang carton in a day or two...at least if I use it in baking I can slow my intake. That's my theory anyway.  ;)





Photo by Wade Hammond








Seasonal nogs at the store...
Califia Farms Holiday Nog
Silk Nog Soymilk
So Delicious Nog Coconut Milk
So Delicious Pumpkin Spice Coconut Milk
So Delicious Mint Chocolate Coconut Milk

and homemade!  :)
Vegan Eggnog using vegan pudding powder
Vegan 'Egg Nog' using bananas
Soy Dream Nog using tofu
Dairy-Free Nogs recipes and links

Do you buy or make your nog? Do you use it in baking? What vegan cookbooks do you use the most?  :)

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

Tuesday, December 23, 2014

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!  :)












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!

Monday, December 22, 2014

Happy Rice Ball Day!

Blogger of the Day: Susanna at Divine Healthy Food

Rice balls are yumfully delicious no matter where you are in the world! In Italy they are traditionally made with arborio or carnaroli rice, stuffed with meat and deepfried. Mexican, South American and Caribbean versions may be filled with spicy pepper and cheese mixes. Asian countries favor glutinous rice or rice flour balls hiding a sweet or savory paste, sometimes whimsically colored and flavored. Often they will be tied to holidays like today's Dongzhi Festival, when Tang Yuan are shared to celebrate the Winter Solstice. Tang Yuan are so hard to resist...one minute your bowl is overflowing, then *poof!* they've disappeared! Don't worry...once you learn the basics, you can whip more up anytime, but get to know your rice before you start rolling!  :)
• Glutinous rice is a very sticky, short-grain rice that is often used in Asian dishes.
• Glutinous rice is also known as sticky rice, sushi rice, sweet rice, waxy rice, mochi rice or pearl rice.
• One cup dried rice yields two cups cooked rice.
• Despite its name, this rice isn't sweet and it doesn't contain gluten.
• White or black varieties work best...brown short-grain rice isn't as sticky.
(Source)

Susanna has a crazyfabulous blog...you will get lost here for hours in all her munchable marvelousness! She's creative and funny and supersweet too, plus she rolls some rockin' balls!  :)














Stick to the sticky stuff...
White Sticky Rice from Temple of Thai
Black (Purple) Sticky Rice from Temple of Thai
Organic Jade Pearl Rice from Lotus Foods
Black Pearl Rice from Lundberg
Organic Sushi Rice from Lundberg
Sweet Brown Rice from Bob's Red Mill
Sweet White Rice from Bob's Red Mill
Sweet White Rice Flour from Bob's Red Mill
Sticky Rice Flour from Temple of Thai
White Arborio Rice from Lundberg
Organic Carnaroli Rice from Lotus Foods

How do you roll your sticky rice? Have you tried Tang Yuan? What's your favorite filling?  :)

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