This recipe is pure genius… truly the most heavenly pound cake to ever grace one’s plate. From Veganomicon, page 254. We sprinkled shredded coconut on top because we’re cukoo for coconuts. We also used rich and creamy coconut milk yogurt, which is the cat’s meow!
Served with a Caffè Americano made from Blue Bottle organic beans, the finest coffee in the land.
As the skull candle reminds us, memento mori, or “remember your mortality” and eat cake while you still can!
We cannot take credit for the creation this masterpiece, we got it “to go” from a Hella Vegan Eats popup at Dear Mom in San Francisco.
What you see pictured above is the Meen Deen Doughnut burger Supreme. Hella Vegan Eats describes this as a “Freekah-beet burger patty sitting pretty between two sugar doughnuts with heirloom tomatoes, kale, secret sauce, & pickled red onions.” Hella Vegan Eats is truly festive vegan cuisine! I haven’t stopped thinking about this heavenly burger since I quickly devoured it. Apologies for the less than stellar photo. To be honest we didn’t have time to set this shot up properly as our number one priority at that moment was eating that burger!
Many thanks to the glorious blog Vegansaurus for always tipping us off about great vegan events in the Bay Area.
Doughnut Factoid: People know a good thing when they eat one… the doughnut has existed since the dawn of time. To this day archaeologists continue to unearth fossilized pieces of what look like doughnuts in prehistoric Native American settlements.
“I won all the blue ribbons for canning at the state fair.” –Loretta Lynn
This is a festive fall treat made from seasonal organic pears, apples, home roasted pumpkin, agave nectar, and warming spices. Another great recipe from The Vegan Slow Cooker, page 33.
This scrumptious fruit butter contains all of the flavors that you associate with autumn. It is the perfect accompaniment to crumpets, English muffins, toast, or even a humble pb&j.
The recipe also says that this can be frozen for future enjoyment, but we decided to go old-school and can this in jars to preserve it. Canning is so easy, fun, and rewarding!
Kitchen kitty (“culina cattus” in Latin)… I am pleased to introduce you to Leonard, the newest member of our little household. I chased this formidable tom cat down the streets of San Francisco for a year before I finally caught him! I’d seen him prowling around with a collar on for a while, but it eventually fell off. By the time he let me get close enough to him to grab him I noticed that he wasn’t even fixed. When no one came forward to claim him we took care of that and welcomed him into our home. I am so glad we did, as he is turning out to be quite a character (as can be seen in the photo above). Some of his favorite hobbies are eating, playing string, howling at 6 in the morning, and killing and eating flies (we stop him whenever we catch him in the act). Love ya’, Lenny!
“…..all the charming and beautiful things, from the Song of Songs, to bouillabaisse, and from the nine Beethoven symphonies to the Martini cocktail, have been given to humanity by men who, when the hour came, turned from tap water to something with color in it, and more in it than mere oxygen and hydrogen.” – H.L. Mencken
Just in time for autumn… hot & hearty Tofu Bouillabaisse! From one of our most-used cookbooks, The Vegan Slow Cooker, p70. This flavorful recipe eschews the fish ingredients in traditional bouillabaisses (Scorpionfish, Sea Robin, European Conger, Sea Urchins, Octopus, Mussels and Crabs) and instead uses fish-and-sea-friendly tofu, with onions, garlic, fennel, celery, carrots, potatoes, tomatoes, bay leaves, saffron, and lime juice. This is so easy to prepare. All you need to do is chop up all of the ingredients and toss them into your slow cooker, turn your slow cooker on, and 6 hours later you will have a piping hot, luscious, fennel-and-saffron-scented pot of deliciousness.
Bryant Terry has done it again with this terrific recipe combo! Tofu with Roasted Peanuts in Chili Oil served with Congee and Braised Greens, from The Inspired Vegan, page 164. The tofu was firm, spicy and peanut-alicious, the congee was creamy as can be, and the braised greens were tender and flavorful. For those who don’t know what congee is (like myself before coming across this recipe) it’s a Cantonese rice pudding, also known as Jook.
I just love the cookbook Great Chefs Cook Vegan by Linda Long. This healthy and scrumptious gourmet recipe is on page 16. Being a mushroom fanatic I was excited to see that this recipe called for chanterelles, porcinis, AND shiitakes, as well as white wine, shallots, leeks, potatoes, thyme, and spinach. This dish is perfect for those cool and cloudy autumn days. It will definitely warm you up inside! I recommend eating a nice big bowl with some gluten-free bread (as shown above) before curling up with a blanket (and a warm kitty if you have one about) on the couch to read a great book and then take a little nap.
Craving a tasty snack? Fix yourself a cheeze platter! 
Tempeh pimiento cheeze ball from 1,000 Vegan Recipes, page 19, and smoked “gouda” from The Ultimate Uncheese Cookbook, page 161. Served with rice crackers and kalamata olives. Both of these dairy-free cheeses were delicious and really easy to make as well as gluten-free, wheat-free, and sugar-free. The “gouda” was made using carrots, cashews, nutritional yeast, agar flakes, tahini, lemon juice, liquid smoke, and mustard. The cheeze ball was made from tempeh, pimientos, vegan mayonnaise, soy sauce, and nutritional yeast, and then rolled in tasty toasted pecans. Say cheeze!
From Tal Ronnen’s phenomenal cookbook The Conscious Cook. We love you Tal! This looks and sounds fancy, and it was, but it was actually quite easy to make. Being a big mushroom fan I have been wanting to experiment with lobster mushrooms some more and this recipe provided the perfect opportunity to do so. This lobster mushroom buerre blanc is the richest, most decadent sauce in the known universe with flavors of shallots, white wine, dairy-free butter, and lobster mushrooms galore. We slathered it on top of the pine nut-&-basil-crusted fillets, thyme-roasted fingerling potatoes, and veggie stock-&-dairy-free butter-braised greens. A dinner to remember, for sure!
“I never saw a purple cow. I never hope to see one. But I can tell you anyhow I’d rather see than be one.” – A well-known poem by Gelett Burgess, written in 1895.
Ambrosia in a pint glass! These delightful delovely delicious floats are made using grape ice cream and vanilla cream soda. The easy-to-make ice cream recipe is from Hannah Kaminsky’s brilliant book, Vegan A La Mode, page 94. It is made using coconut milk, so it is soy-free. We used an organic, natural cream soda. These went down fast. 
This is bar none the best chili recipe that we have ever made, even though according to the the cookbook it is officially a stew. This is what you dream a can of Hormel chili would be like if it was vegan, organic, and homemade. From The Vegan Slow Cooker, page 62. We soaked our own dry black beans because they are fresher, tastier, and less expensive than canned beans, and by cooking our own beans we avoided exposure to the endocrine disrupting BPA linings they are putting in cans these days, which is always a plus. This stew was perfect with warm tortillas topped with dairy-free butter. We will be slow-cooking this yummy recipe many more times, I am sure!
From Vegan with a Vengeance, page 46. We substituted spelt flour for regular wheat flour and agave for sugar. We didn’t have any raisins (which the recipe calls for) but these were fluffy, moist, and delicious nonetheless. These are the perfect breakfast muffins!
Carrot factoids:
The Ancient Greeks called the carrot a philtron, which translates to “love charm.” They believed the carrot made both men and women more amorous. These muffins were lovely, indeed!
The scene from the movie It Happened One Night in which Clark Gable leans nonchalantly against a fence eating carrots while talking to Claudette Colbert inspired the creators of Bugs Bunny to give him the same nonchalant, carrot-eating demeanor.
The other night we made this comfort food dinner of tempeh meat loaf with cheesy garlic mashed potatoes (we added some nutritional yeast for a tasty cheesy flavor) and a side salad with home made gluten-free croutons. The satisfying tempeh meat loaf recipe is from The Real Food Daily Cookbook, page 177. We used my favorite vinaigrette recipe on the salad, which is from The Inspired Vegan, page 8. This vinaigrette is lemony and fresh, and the ingredients called for are basic ones that we always have on hand. We made the croutons form some gluten free bread that we had in the freezer. We just thawed out the bread, cut it into cubes, tossed the bread cubes in a bit of olive oil, garlic and oregano, and baked them in the oven at 350° for 20 minutes. We couldn’t find any store-bought croutons that were gluten-free and I’m so glad we made our own!
“My best traveling was done during winter months when the cold has settled in and my feet are bared; the icy earth quickens my step.” – Johnny Appleseed on why he went barefoot.
How do you like them apples? I know I did… gorgeous and tasty pink pearls and red gravensteins. These heirloom apples appeared at our local health food store extraordinaire, Rainbow Grocery Co-op last week. Neither Keith nor I had ever seen pink pearls before. They were so pretty I just had to take a picture of them to share with you. They were creamy pink on he outside, and fuschia on the inside! The gravensteins gave the pearls a run for the money, too. They were a beautiful vivid ruby red in color, with green accents. Both varieties were crunchy, sweet, and juicy, and were perfect lunch break apples. Be sure to eat your apple a day, as apples are high in fiber and vitamin C and apple pectin is powerful at cleansing the body of residual radiation (and we all know that we’re getting more than our fair shares of radiation from wireless devices and nuclear fallout these days).
This chocolate-orange pudding recipe from Vegan Soul Kitchen, page 190 is rich, decadent, and a must-try for chocolate lovers. We served this with cashew whipped cream and vegan vanilla sandwich cookies. To make cashew whipped cream: soak 1 cup of whole, raw cashews in 1/2 cup of water overnight. In the morning, add 3 tablespoons of agave nectar and 1 teaspoon of vanilla and blend everything in an upright blender until thick and creamy. Easy peasy!
This savory, meaty pie was a real treat! From The Urban Vegan by Denise Balcavage, page 140. It has a simple to make gluten-free crust, and a filling of mushrooms (we used shiitake and enoki) and leeks. I accidentally added 1/2 cup of nutritional yeast to the crust instead of 2 tablespoons and it was still amazing! This is the first time that we’ve ever cooked millet, and I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised. The crust recipe could be used as a gluten-free option for any savory pie filling. Millet is high in protein, rich in nutrients, and a great energy source.
This uber-rich and incredibly delicious ice cream recipe is from the inspired cookbook Vegan A La Mode, by Hannah Kaminsky, page 80. We made this in our indispensable Gelato Pro Ice Cream Maker, which is made in Italy and is self-cooling so you don’t need to put any part of the machine into the freezer, which usually takes up precious freezer space.
This is a fun recipe to make, as you get to create your own cola simple syrup to use. It’s also bursting at the seams with ripe, fresh summer cherries, and has the creaminess of coconut milk to boot.
We served this piled high on gluten-free sugar cones.
“Be as a bird perched on a frail branch that she feels bending beneath her, still she sings away all the same, knowing she has wings.” – Victor Hugo
When our beloved rescue lovebird Pepito sadly passed away last year, Keith and I started the Pepito Memorial Bird Garden in his honor. We wanted to help support the wild birds in our backyard, since North American songbird populations are being decimated by the use of pesticides and herbicides, mercury poisoning, climate change, feral cat populations, wind turbines, and radio-frequency radiation exposure.
So, for our neighborhood pigeons, doves, finches, robins, bluejays, mockingbirds, starlings, wrens, cooper’s hawks and hummingbirds we put a bird bath, bird waterer, bird seed feeder, hummingbird feeder, and some bird houses in our backyard, and now we have dozens of daily avian visitors. Our backyard is a veritable orchestra of birdsong and activity.
We couldn’t find any affordable bird seed mix that was organically grown and not sprayed with pesticides and herbicides, and we certainly didn’t want to provide food for our fine feathered friends that was unhealthy and environmentally damaging… so we decided to make our own! We are lucky to live near the unparalleled whole foods co-op Rainbow Grocery in San Francisco, where we are able to purchase organically grown sunflower seeds and millet at great prices in bulk for our little buddies. Here’s the recipe for our homemade bird seed mix.
These incredibly yummy cookies are reminiscent of the famous “Toll House” cookie recipe, but with they contain no cholesterol or lactose! You can safely eat the dough without fear of contracting salmonella poisoning, too, since there are no raw eggs in it. Moist, chewy, and choco-licious, this is going to become our go-to chocolate chip cookie recipe. We substituted spelt flour for unbleached wheat flour for a lower gluten version. From The Vegan Cookie Connoisseur, page 211.
Blueberries are nutritional powerhouses and they taste great baked into muffins, so Keith and I developed this recipe for Blueberries & Cream Muffins to share with you. These are made using spelt flour, which is much lower in gluten than regular wheat flour and a great option for those with gluten sensitivity. We also added almond extract, which mingled really well with the other ingredients, but feel free to use your favorite extract. Vanilla, lemon, or orange would also taste great in these light, moist muffins!
I just adore Keith’s tasty garlic cheese! This is an “Eastern Block” classic, the foodstuff of Keith’s Polish and Hungarian ancestors. For the dinner pictured here we served it spread on toasted brown bread with vegan cold cuts and a side of sauteed dandelion greens (dandelion is a fantastic liver and kidney cleanser and tonic). Click here for Keith’s super-easy-to-make garlic cheese recipe!
We made these smoky, hearty franks & beans for our workweek lunches. Doubling a recipe is always a good idea if you want to spend less time in the kitchen and more time relaxing with your family and friends. This easy and super-yummy recipe comes from the Quick and Easy Vegan Slow Cooking cookbook, page 146. We used Field Roast’s Frankfurters (my favorite vegan dogs) for the franks. Boy did this hit the spot!
This is basically my favorite sandwich recipe ever. Keith and I love to bring these when we go camping or hiking, they are such a treat in the wilderness or even indoors! This batch went down especially well at California Extreme, the annual vintage arcade and pinball game expo in Santa Clara, CA. This is a classic New Orleans recipe from the essential cookbook Veganomicon, by Isa Chandra Moscowitz & Terry Hope Romero, page 100. To compile such a delicious sandwich you first roast slices of eggplant in the oven while you make an olive relish. Then you layer these goodies with roasted red peppers and marinated spinach on slices of bread (we used ciabatta), wrap the sammies up tight in aluminum foil, and press them in the refrigerator overnight until the flavors blend. We added some shredded Daiya vegan mozzarella cheese for good measure. Delicious served hot or cold.
Can I tell you how much I am loving grits lately? This was made using another easy, winning recipe from Bryant Terry’s fabulous The Inspired Vegan, page 107. Such a great dish for summer! The flavors of the creamy grits, sauteed squash, juicy tomatoes, and lemony parsley pesto were bright and satisfying. I love the idea of a parsley-walnut pesto because parsley is an excellent tonic for the kidneys and walnuts are packed with omega-3 fatty acids. This is definitely one to make while heirloom tomatoes are in season.
We made this yummy spanikopita to bring to a potluck at our dear friends Christie & Pablo’s’ beautiful home in Mill Valley. It was a blast and the pot-luckers approved of this great recipe from Vegan with a Vengeance, page 91! Made using filo dough, spinach, tofu, nutritional yeast, walnuts, scallions, garlic, olive oil lemon juice, nutmeg, dill, & oregano. This is now our go-to recipe for spanikopita. Tastes great with kalamata olives and dolmas.
Another game day luncheon. Hummus (made using a really tasty recipe from Veganomicon, page 67) with veggies, kalamata olives, dolmas, and pita chips. We always drizzle olive oil and lemon juice on our hummus, and then sprinkle paprika on top. We also use dried chickpeas that we cook at home instead of canned ones to save on packaging and cash money, and to reduce our exposure to the BPA that is in food can linings. For those of you who have never made pita chips, it is so easy! Just preheat your oven to 350°. Then cut your pita breads into little wedges, arrange them on a baking sheet, and pop them into the oven. Bake for 15 minutes, flipping the chips once halfway through cooking. Allow to cool and then devour!
We brought this to work this week and ate the muffins for breakfast and the chili for lunch. We always try to cook enough on the weekends for breakfast and lunch during the week, which is a real time-saver for us. The hearty and healthy chili recipe is from Quick and Easy Vegan Slow Cooking, page 140. It is made using pinto beans, fresh corn, potatoes, amaranth, and quinoa. The corn muffins were made using our own recipe.
Keith and I had never had grits before, and we did not know what we were missing! This phenomenal recipe form Bryant Terry’s cookbook The Inspired Vegan is full of flavors galore. The grits were creamy and cheesy, the beans were oh so tender, and the roasted fennel was caramelized to perfection in the oven. We used smoked rock salt on the fennel, which lent a nice smokehouse flavor to the dish. The recipe called for broad beans but stated that lima beans could be used instead. We couldn’t find broad beans at our local health food store, so we substituted frozen lima beans. We also drizzled some really nice olive oil on top after plating. This is an excellent soy and gluten-free meal option.
We used Gardein Chick’n Scalloppini for this mouth-watering dish. Gardein is an amazingly delicious meat substitute made from soy, which has no cholesterol, is rich in protein, and is egg and dairy-free. This piccata was so tender, with flavors of lemon, white wine. capers, garlic, and shallots. The zesty heirloom tomato salad was topped with crisped capers and a basil chiffonade. This looks fancy but it was ridiculously simple to make. From The Conscious Cook, by Tal Ronnen. The tomato salad appears on page 61, and the piccata is on page 85. Heaven on a plate.
This is my favorite recipe for macaroni salad, even though we substituted strozzapreti noodles for macaroni, which turned out to be a really tasty option. We also substituted capers for the celery (because we forgot to buy celery at the store) and I do love capers, so that worked out too! It never hurts to personalize a recipe with your favorite ingredients. Sprinkled with paprika in honor of Keith’s Hungarian genes and for more delicious flavor, of course! Made with Follow Your Heart organic, vegan mayo. From 1,000 Vegan Recipes, page 92.
