Recipe Round-Up: Une Bûche de Noël Végétalienne / Vegan Yule Log

A couple nights ago my sister emailed this video of the Vegan Black Metal Chef with his recipe for a Vegan Yule Log Cake and asked me to make one for our family dinner. Here's the PC version of the video which was presented by CHOW.com.



As you can see, VBMC's version is super easy to make with a vegan cake box mix, some egg replacer, and a couple jars of store-bought icing and frosting. Simple. But it looks like a glorified German Chocolate Cake to me. And if I'm going to make one of these Yule Logs, I'm going to try something a little more traditional and a little less chocolatey.

I've seen recipes for Yule Logs before but it's been awhile, and to be honest, I was never interested because these things tend to be designed for chocoholics. I like my chocolate in moderation and usually it has to have nuts or crunchies in it.

So I did some google-digging. Bûche de Noël or the Yule Log Cake is a traditional French dessert served around Christmas.

And apparently there are two types of bûche de noël or yule log cakes, a génoise and buttercream version or a frozen yule log. The génoise is like a rolled-up sponge cake layered with icing and topped with a ganache and designed to look like firewood.

The frozen yule log, on the other hand, appears to be a far more complicated French version shaped like a bread pan with layers of biscuit, mousse, ganache, pralines, creme brulee, and icing.

I'm pretty sure I'm going to make a génoise cake, and most of the recipes I found were for that style, but I was able to provide some recipe ideas on the frozen yule log for those of you interested in that one.

Génoise-style
~The Gluttonous Vegan's Christmas Yule Log

~Vegan Good Things' Orange Spice Bûche de Noël with Orange Cream Cheese Frosting & Chocolate Ganache

~Sweet Vegan's Yule Log

~Hasta La Vegan's Chocolate Yule Log

~Végéta-Löu's Bûche Pâtissière/Yule Log (Pear/Chai/Chocolate) (in French and English)

~My Paper Crane's Vegan Peppermint Icebox Yule Log Cake

~The Healthy Voyager's Holiday Yule Log

~Fuck Yeah Vegan Recipes' version of Bryanna Clark Grogan's Basic Holiday Roll

~Inhabitots' Vegan Yule Log Cake

~BORO Magazine's Raw Vegan Yule Log

~Vegan Peace's Yule Log Cookies


Frozen-style
The original non-vegan Yule Log recipe modified by the vegan Daring Bakers.

And here are some of the vegan bloggers that participate in Daring Bakers, their versions, and how the modifications they made.
~Madcap Cupcake
~Vegan Bits
~Musings From the Fishbowl
~Cooking at the Pacific Outpost


If you decide to make a Yule Log, post a comment and link to any photos and tell us about it!

Recipe Round-up: Vegan Thanksgiving Goodies

Every year more and more vegan holiday recipes are shared. Below is a link to my previous Thanksgiving Recipe Round-up, and after that, the rest are links to goodies being talked about this year.

2010 Thanksliving Menu Round-Up

[And if there is one dish I could personally recommend for Thanksgiving, it's the Sage- and Pumpkin Seed- Encrusted Seitan with Roasted Garlic Pumpkin Sauce, it's a fantastic main dish.]

Moving on to the new stuff...

~Chef Chloe is well-represented over at the New York Times Vegetarian Thanksgiving section with her Chocolate Pumpkin Bread Pudding, Maple-Roasted Brussels Sprouts With Hazelnuts, Harvest-Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms, Coconut Mashed Yams with Currants, Southern Skillet Black-Eyed Peas and Cauliflower, and Quick Biscuits with Maple Butter.

~Oh She Glows blogger, Angela Liddon has some healthy recipes featured at Veg News: Guilt-Free Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Sumptuous Shepherd's Stew, and Sinless Sticky Toffee Pecan Pudding.

~Cornmeal Buttermilk Biscuits, Coconut Butternut Squash Soup, Herbed Cream Collards, and Fourless  Chocolate Cake with Whipped Cream from several awesome vegan chefs via VegNews.

~Dreena Burton's Plant Powered Kitchen has a whole bunch of Vegan Thanksgiving and Christmas Recipes...too many to give you the details, just check out her post.

~And of course, The Post Punk Kitchen has an entire category of recipes perfect for Thanksgiving.

Let me know what you plan on making!

Recipe Round-Up: Vegan Mac 'n' Cheese

Today is National Macaroni Day. Mac 'n' Cheese is probably the most popular way to use macaroni noodles. Good vegan Mac 'n' Cheese recipes used to be but a dream, but now there are many fantastic and inspired vegan recipes out there. I've gathered quite a bunch including some gluten-free, nut-free, soy-free, grain-free, paleo, and raw vegan options. Some are baked, some are more traditional, some use nutritional yeast, or cashews, or Daiya shreds. Do some browsing and see which ones catch your eye.

The Recipes!

Cooking with the Vegan Zombie: Vegan Mac & Cheese


*Green's Chef Damon Brasch Vegan Mac-n-(Cashew-Cheddar)-Cheese

*Fat Free Vegan Kitchen's Easy Macaroni and Cheeze and Baked Macaroni and Cheese

*Happy Herbivore's Soy-Free Mac n' Cheese

*Chef Chloe's Vegan Mac 'N' Cheese

*Vegan Housewives' Southern Baked Mac & Cheese

*That Was Vegan?'s Cauliflower n' Cheese

*The Wannabe Chef's Gluten-Free Vegan Mac n Cheese

*Vegan Dad's Creamy Mac and Cheeze

*Post Punk Kitchen's Mac & Shews and Sunflower Mac

*VegWeb's No-Nooch, No-Tofu, Excellent Mac 'n' Cheese

*Happy Healthy Life's Fake-Out Mac 'n Cheese, Baked Dill Mac n Chreese (with spicy sausage), and Easy Mac n Cheese

*The Gluten Free Vegan's Mac & Cheese

*Manifest Vegan's Vegan Mac & Cheese

*Seitan Beats Your Meat's Jalapeno Mac n Cheese

*Allison Rivers Samson's Vegan Macaroni & Cheese (via VegNews)

*Cheeky Kitchen's Creamy (Vegan) Mac & Cheese

*Glutenfree Goddess' Best Vegan Baked Mac & Cheese

*Vegan Yack Attack's Mexican Macaroni & Cheeze

*The Noochy Noodle's Mac n’ Quiche With Caramelized Onions, Spinach and Smoky Curls

*My Darling Lemon Thyme's Roast Tomato and Thyme Macaroni 'Cheese'

*Vegetarian Times' Mac and Cheese

*Aylin Erman's Whole Wheat Macaroni and Sweet Potato Cheese (via EcoSalon)

*The Paleo Mama's Paleo Mac n Cheese

*Olives for Dinner's Vegan Macaroni and Cheese

*Get Sconed!'s Smokey Baked Mac n Cheese

*The Spunky Coconut's Butternut Mac-n-Cheese

*Vegan Yum Yum's Mac & Cheeze and Mac & Cheeze (Take 2)


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Some Mac-n-Cheese recipes from popular vegan cookbooks that you might have handy (these are from the cookbooks I have handy):

Mac Daddy from Veganomicon
Mac and Trees from Appetite for Reduction
Baked Mac and Cheeze from Vegan Yum Yum
Claire’s Macaroni and “Cheeze” from La Dolce Vegan

The Noochy Noodle has a more thorough blog post on vegan Mac 'n' Cheese recipes in cookbooks, and a whole blog dedicated to vegan Mac 'n' Cheese, as a matter of fact.

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Too hot? Don't feel like cooking? Restaurants!

Pomegranate Cafe has a Southwestern Mac & Cheese.

Green's Mac-n-Cheese isn't on the regular menu, but Chef Damon often offers it up as a special. Join the Green Facebook group or follow Green on Twitter for notices on specials.

Or if you are lucky enough to be in the area, Peta has a list of the top 5 vegan Mac-n-Cheese dishes at restaurants in the U.S.

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Or you can always try one of these frozen meals.

I prefer the Amy's, but the Candle Cafe is pretty good too.

Candle Cafe's Macaroni & Vegan Cheese

Amy's Dairy Free Rice Macaroni & Cheeze

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And, lastly, here are a couple of 'cooking' videos for raw vegan Mac 'n' Cheese.

Corin Stephenson's Raw Vegan Mac 'n' Cheez


Mrs. Leafy Greens' Raw Vegan "Macaroni and Cheese"

Recipe Round-up: Vegan Croque Monsieur et Madame

I'd never heard of Croque-anything until I took a French class in college and was suddenly having to order them from my classmates, along with a café au lait and croissant. I don't know what made me think of them recently, but I suddenly decided I wanted a vegan version. This meant digging through recipes online to see if I could find something workable. A few vegans have beat me to the punch and created their own vegan Croques. Of course, I had to share.

By the way, I saw a couple of non-vegan, vegetarian recipes (heavy on the gruyere) that used mushrooms and/or spinach instead of vegan ham, so you might consider substitutions like that if you don't want the faux ham that some of the recipes use.

There aren't very many recipes, so people, get on this!
~Parsley Soup's Vegan Croque Monsieur

~The Vegan Croque Monsieur with Dijon Dill Aioli at Veganize It...Don't Criticize It

~D.I. Wine and Dine's Vegan Croque Monsieur aka Savory French Toast

~The Vegan Croque Monsieur (with a side of Dijon Potatoes!) over at Yummy-Licious

~Shins' Vegan Lovin' has a Vegan Croque Madame Panini

~Animal Emancipation showcases a Croque Madame...no real recipe but you should be able to figure it out with all the ingredients listed.

Recipe Round-up: Vegan Fruit Cake

You may remember that in June I posted about Emily Dickinson. She liked to bake and  the Library of America recorded her recipe for Black Cake (aka Fruit Cake). It inspired me to do a recipe round-up for fruit cake, but of course, I really needed to wait til December since it's more of a seasonal holiday treat. And here we are.  I've never made a fruit cake before, but I'd like to try one of these.

The first two recipes were the ones that seemed the closest vegan recipes to Emily's Black Cake. The rest are the various vegan or easily veganizable takes on fruitcake that I have seen online. A couple of the below recipes just need vegan margarine and non-dairy milks, which are simple substitutions. You'll have to convert from British measurements and terminology on a couple of them as well.

~Bryanna's Low-Fat Vegan Carrot Fruitcake at the Vegan Feast Kitchen

~Vegan and Demanding's Fruitcake

~The Fruit Cake and Fruity Marmalade Cake over at The Vegan Society

~ About.com's Vegan Christmas Fruit Cake

~Vegan Christmas Fruitcake from Madhuram's Eggless Cooking

~Nom!Nom!Nom!'s Vegan Fruitcake Delight

~Parsley Soup's Fruit Cake

~Christmas Cake at Vegan Village

~Fruit and Nut "War" Cake from Jugalbandi

~Veggies.Co.Uk's Maggie's Falling Down Fruit Cake

~Suburban Yogini's Spiced Vegan Fruitcake,  and Christmas Cake with Marizpan and Icing

~1940s Experiment's Eggless Fruit Cake and Eggless Xmas Cake

~Cake's Eggless Fruit Cake

~Aayi's Recipes Eggless Fruit Cake

~Food in the Main's Eggless Fruit Cake

~Ina Garten's Dried Fruit Cookies - They look like Fruitcake Cookies to me! You'll want agave nectar instead of honey, and egg replacer for 1 egg.

Colombian Raw Vegan Fruitcake with Coconut Milk
(In Spanish with Subtitles)

Recipe Round-Up: Mesquite Flour

As promised, vegan (or veganizable) recipes that use mesquite flour. Gotta say, raw foodists are really representing with the mesquite flour recipes. I'm gonna make some cookies and the raw caramel apple dip to start,  what about you?

Raw Vegan
~Hungry Vegan's Carob-Mesquite Dream Smoothie
~Raw Food Recipes' Bring on the Heat Raw Vegan Chili

~Raw Sacramento's Tahitian Vanilla Crème Parfait with Tropical Fruit Compote, Candied Walnuts, and Sweet Ginger Corn Cakes

~Jamie Abrams' Ginger Mesquite'en Me Crazy Balls and Sunny Ice Cream

~Marisa's Healthy Kitchen- Butterscotch Smoothie, Banana and Avocado Sweet Snack, Banana Ice Cream Love, Superfood Smoothie

~Durian Coconut Delite via Recipe Puppy

~Raw Beets' Sweet and Creamy Caramel Apple Dip (video below)



Vegan
~Free Range Cookies' Mesquite Date Muffins

~Tusconivore's Mesquite Flour Tortillas

~Peace Love Bagels' Vegan Mesquite Chocolate Chip Cookies

~Aprovechar's Mesquite Chocolate Chip Cookies (vegan=non-ghee)

~Affairs of Living's Gluten-Free Sugar-Free Vegan Pumpkin Pie Recipe with Crunchy Crust and Cashew Whipped Cream

~No Knead Mesquite Bread via Craftzine

~Mohave Mesquite Bread

~Mesquite Bean Jelly- requires vegan gelling agent like agar maybe?

~Jack Keller's Mesquite Bean Wine

~Desert Harvesters' Simple Mesquite Drink, Pinole, Mesquite Margaritas, Mesquite Carob Tortillas, Hearty Mesquite Bread . The Neighborhood Mesquite Holiday Bars just require using agave nectar and vegan margarine, the Basic Yellow Mesquite Cake just needs non-dairy milk and vegan margarine, and the Mesquite Shortbread and Kukukadoo Solar Cookies just need vegan margarine. All of the pancake recipes require egg replacement egg replacement and non-dairy milks.

~Mighty Foods' Mesquite Cornbread- This one requires some veganizing, but it looks fairly easy. First, replace the butter with vegan margarine (like Earth Balance). Then sub the egg with egg replacer (like Ener-G Egg Replacer or the flaxseed/water combo). Change the honey to agave nectar. And finally, replace the buttermilk with 1 cup of non-dairy milk plus 1 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar (mix those two in a small bowl and let sit for a couple of minutes before adding.)

~Mesquite Margarine: Mix half a stick of softened vegan margarine with 1/2 teaspoon of mesquite flour to create a smokey, nutty, slightly sweet spread.

Recipe Round-up: Chayote/Mirliton/Choko/Chow Chow

Chayotes are light green, puckered fruits that are part of the gourd family. In the South, they tend to be called mirlitons/merlitons. Choko in Australia, and chow chow in India. They have many other names in many other places, but those are the ones you are most likely to encounter, I think.

I've never cooked with them, nor eaten them to my knowledge, but they are in season now and cooked much like summer squash. I see them at my local grocery stores whenever they are in season, and I always think, I should try those. I never do. But this summer, I am determined to fix that. However, I needed to find an interesting recipe or two first. I found quite a few recipes and thought I would share them here.

In honor of True Blood returning, I am super pleased to start with a couple of mirliton recipes which are popular in the South, like Lousiana. I think the first thing I want to make with chayotes is the Seaside-Stuffed Mirlitons.

Mirlitons
*Fat Free Vegan's Seaside-Stuffed Mirlitons and Mirliton and White Bean Stew
*Emeril's Spicy Shrimp Stuffed Mirliton (requires veganizing: use vegan shrimp and vegan cheese)

Chayotes
*Fat Free Vegan's Southwestern Chayote Casserole and Creamy Mexican Chayote Soup
*Vegan Adventures of Meggie and Ben's Chayote with Fire Roasted Tomatoes and Green Pepper
*All Creatures [dot] Org's Chayote Squash and Potatoes
*Bon Appetit's Chayote Soup with Lemongrass and Ginger (use veggie broth to veganize)
*The Tropical Vegan's Cucumber and Chayote Slaw
*Stewed Chayote with Tomatoes and Epazote
*The Boulders Resort's (Scottsdale/Carefree) Chayote Squash and Jicama Slaw

Choko
*Choko Chutney

Chow Chow
*Cooking and Me's Chow Chow Kootu and Chow Chow Sambhar with Curd Rice

Calabacitas
(Calabacitas means little squashes, and you can really use any summer squash in most calabacita recipes.)
*Vegan Mischief's Breakfast Calabacitas
*Salad in a Jar's Calabacitas with Potatoes (optional vegan cheese)
*The Temporary Vegetarian's Tacos de Calabacitas (use vegan cheese)


Also, Terry Hope Romero's Viva Vegan cookbook has a recipe for Chayote and Potato Salad with Capers and Peas as well as one for Calabacitas.


If you've got a great chayote recipe, or even a Mexican grey squash recipe, send them my way!

Recipe Round-Up: King Cakes for Mardi Gras

from The Sweetest Vegan's Vlogazine

Every year I completely miss Mardi Gras and I think, I'll just remember to make a King Cake next year, because I've been dying to try one. And this year, I have continued this sad little tradition and pretty much let Mardi Gras pass me by unawares. It was never something my family celebrated when growing up and I suppose that explains why it is not on my internal calendar. Right about now, and even when in February, we pretty much focus only on the upcoming St. Patrick's Day. I might make one of these cakes this month, but it certainly won't be timely.

However, I will share some of the King Cake recipes around the blogsphere with you. Maybe you've still got a chance...


**King Cake via Ecorazzi and about.com.(I think these are the same recipe, though the photos show very different cakes.)

**Kittee's King Cake

**Cake Maker to the Stars's King Cake (Gluten-Free)

**King Cake from Amy at PETA

**And another version of a more lemony iced King Cake from PETA

**Vegan in Louisiana also shares a Vegan King Cake recipe

**Fat-Free Vegan's Gluten-Free King Cake Cookies (They are so cute! And you she gives us instructions on how to put the gluten back in if we so choose.)

Recipe Round-up: Columbian Food

My dinner trip to Colombia was not enough for me. I want more Colombian food. Mmmmm. So I was surfing the net for more recipes and thought I would share them with you.

My Colombian Recipes shares a LOT of Colombian recipes. Erica, the blogger is from Colombia and living in America with her newly vegetarian husband. So many of her recipes are vegetarian and vegan friendly. I picked out a few of her traditional Colombian ones that are already vegan, and the ones that just need easy subs like non-dairy milk and vegan margarine or egg replacer, etc. If you get stuck on substitution ideas, let me know.

Now, on to the recipes of My Colombian Recipes: Empanadas with Peanuts and Potatoes, Colada de Maizena, Colombian Hot Sauce, Hot Chocolate in Coconut Milk, Hojuelas Colombianas, Sweet Arepas with Anise, Cassava Balls with Melado, Canelazo, Rice with Coconut and Lentils, Paletas de Salpicon (Fruit Popsicles), Vegetarian Lentil and Rice Soup, Rice with Coconut and Raisins, Avena Drink, and Plantains with Brown Sugar Syrup.

SHIFT Vegan has a couple of Columbian dishes: Vegan Colombian Cazuela Soup and Columbian Arepas.

Jugo del Lulo and Chocolate Caliente, both beverages, from Considering Columbia, a (now-closed) blog about a vegan living in South America. Of course with this first recipe, you gotta find some lulo fruit- maybe Lee Lee's?

Cooking Diva's Cocada con Almendra

IVU's (aka International Vegetarian Union) collected recipes from and inspired by Colombia: Simple Colombian Beans, Pumpkin Salad, Patacones, Don Emilio's Salsa, Colombian Aji Sauce, and Colombian Potato Salad.

And, man, I would love to veganize these, Colombian-Style Stuffed Potatoes (aka Papas Rellenas Colombianas) and Plantain Cake (aka Torta de Platano Maduro)! Looks doable.

Buen provecho!

Recipe Round-up: Chanukah/Hanukkah

*Vegetarians in Paradise Chanukah Spread: Mock Chopped Liver, Sweet and Sour Cabbage Borscht, Horseradish Coleslaw, Carrot and Sweet Potato Tzimmes, Potato Latkes with Tofu Sour Cream and Applesauce, Festive Fruit Relish, and Cranberry Apple Cinnamon Strudel.

*Healthy Voyager's Chanukah Menu: Chickpea Cakes With Beet Horseradish Salad, Sweet Potato Kugel, Potato/Kale Casserole, Matzoh Ball Soup, Grilled Veggie Pesto Matzah (or Pasta) Lasagna, and Death By Chocolate Toffee Matzoh.

*Girlie Girl Army's Vegan Latkes.

*Beverly Lynn Bennet of The Vegan Chef's Holiday Fruit and Nut Rugelach.

*Meet the Shannon's Challah Bread.

*One of the recipes at Fat Free Vegan is for Chocolate Chanukkah Cookies.

*VegKitchen's Vegan Latkes (with oatmal or quinoa flakes!)

*VegNews compiled these Chanukah recipes: Challah, Vegan Latkes, Veggie Knishes, Cherry Noodle Kugel, and Jelly Donut Cupcakes.

*Vega Yum Yum has some delicious looking Mini Doughnuts.

*Over at The Discerning Brute, there's Pistachio Chocolate Cinnamon Rugelach and Noodle Kugel.

*Physicians Committe for Responsible Medicine features Debra Wasserman's Broccoli Latkes, Potato Latkes, as well as Roberta Kalechofsky's Gourmet Applesauce and Incredible Spread.

*JewishRecipes.Org has Bimuelos (aka loukoumades (or loukoumathes) or lokma.

*PETA has a recipe for Glazed Donuts.

*Follow Your Heart's Mock Chicken Liver Pate, Butternut Squash Soup, and Vegan Moroccan Chicken with Almonds.

*Raw Vegan Holiday/Hanukkah Menu (non-traditional): Guacamole and Raw Jalapeno Corn Chips, Walnut Mushroom Pate, Raw Split Pea Soup, Pear and Blueberry Salad, Zucchini Spaghetti and Walnut Meatballs, Chia Pudding with Pomegranate Seeds, and Raw Tropical Chocolate Truffles.

*Gone Raw's Hanukkah Raw Vegan Gefiltefish.

*Jewish Vegetarians of North America has a fantastic compilation of vegetarian Jewish Recipes online.

*The Joy of Vegan Baking by Collen Patrick-Goudreau has a Rugelach recipe that I have made and liked.

And don't forget, Isa Chandra Moskowitz has vegan traditional Jewish recipes throughout her cookbooks.

Veganomicon has Autumn Latkes, Potato Latkes, Spinach-Noodle Kugel, Sweet Potato-Pear Tzimmes with Pecans and Raisins, and Jelly Donut Cupcakes.

Vegan with a Vengeance has Matzoh Ball Soup, Sweet Potato Knish, Potato Knish, and Spinach Potato Knish, and Cauliflower Leek Kugel with Almond-Herb Crust.

Vegan Brunch has Matzoh Brie, Potato and Mushroom Sauerkraut Pierogi, and a ton of cream cheeses.

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Enjoy!

ThanksLiving Menu Round-up

Every year I host a Thankful Veghead Dinner, a vegan Thanksgiving, though I host it a couple weeks early. I'm already planning my menu and thought I would share some of the recipes I have been perusing. On to the round-up!

 ~Vegan Chef Tal Ronnen's Vegan Thanksgiving Menu: Beet and Orange Autumn Salad , Sage and Pumpkin Seed Encrusted Gardein with Cranberry Cabernet Sauce, Green Beans with Fresh Cranberries, Sweet Potato Biscuits, Creamy Mashed Potatoes with Chives, & Oven-roasted Banana Rum Cheesecake.

~Chef Chloe Cascarelli, recent winner of Cupcake Wars, created a Thanksgiving menu as well: Harvest-Stuffed Portabello Mushrooms, Maple Roasted Brussel Sprouts with Hazelnuts, and Chocolate Pumpkin Bread Pudding.

~Vegan Yum Yum Thanksgiving Menu: Seitan Roulade with Chestnut Stuffing, Broiled Haricots Verts with Slow Roasted Tomatoes, Mushroom Gravy, and Tangerine Cranberry Sauce.

~Vegan Dad has a few different options for main courses: Maple-Apple Cider Tofu with Stuffing and Apple Cranberry Chutney, Thanksgiving Mini Pot Pies with Roasted Mushroom Gravy , Seitan Roast with Wild Rice and Chestnut Stuffing .

~Peta's Holiday Dinner Menu Ideas - Say whatever you want about their public policies, they always have great resources and their recipes are pretty awesome. My favorite is their Sage- and Pumpkin Seed-Encrusted Seitan With Roasted Garlic-Pumpkin Sauce. I get requests for it every year.

~Fat-Free Vegan Kitchen features Quinoa and Red Lentil Cutlets, Roasted Pumpkin and Vegetables, and Double-Layer Pumpkin Cheesecake.

~Vegan Thanksgiving Recipes 2008 – A Feast by Robin Robertson: Cream of Pumpkin Soup with Curried Pecans, Roasted Wheatmeat with Oyster Mushroom and “Sausage” Stuffing, Stuffed Winter Squash, Brown Gravy, Roasted Sweet Potato Sticks, Garlic Smashers, Green Bean Casserole, Cranberry Relish, & Ginger-Dusted Pumpkin Cheezecake.

~Vegan Thanksgiving Recipes 2009 – A Feast by Robin Robertson: Seitan en Croute, Madeira Sauce, Rum-Spiked Sweet Potatoes with Pomegranate Pecans, Triple Cranberry Relish, & Roasted Asparagus.

~Some of vegan chef Dreena Burton's Thanksgiving recipes were featured at Serious Eats: Festive Chickpea Tart, Roasted Sweet Potatoes, Lemon Broiled Green Beans, Traditional Cranberry Sauce, & Chocolate Pumpkin Pie.

~Bryanna Clark Grogan has heaps of Thanksgiving-themed recipes at her website, Vegan Feast Kitchen.

~New York Times Well Blog: Featuring local Phoenix chef Jason Wyrick and his Thanksgiving recipes: Smoked Mushroom Roulade and Gnocchi in Pumpkin Sauce.

~Gena's Mostly Raw, All Vegan Thanksgiving Menu: Beet “Ravioli” With Root Vegetable Filling, Arugula, Radicchio, Fennel And Orange Salad, Butternut Squash And Apple Soup, Raw Cranberry Sauce, Raw Walnut And Mushroom Stuffing, & Acorn Squash Stuffed With Cinnamon-Scented Quinoa And Dried Cherries.

[You'd have to modify some of these vegetarian dishes, but most looked vegan or easily veganized.]

~Martha Stewart's Fresh and Festive Vegetarian Thanksgiving Menu

~Martha Stewart's Hearty Vegetarian Thanksgiving Menu

~New York Times Well Blog: Vegetarian Comfort Food at Thanksgiving, & Going Vegetarian for Thanksgiving (ex. Two-Way Chanterelle and Pear Bread Stuffing, Fiery Sweet Potatoes, Caramelized Corn With Fresh Mint, & Roasted Cauliflower With Lemon Brown Butter and Sage Salt.)

Recipe Roundup: Pomegranates!

I will forever be in love with Pomegranates. LOVE. And as I said yesterday, September marks the beginning of pomegranate season. And so, I dedicate this Recipe Round-up to pomegranates! Mmmmm!

I have actually posted a recipe that feature pomegranates on this blog already, the Green Pom Raspberry Smoothie.

Moving on to the interwebs...here are some other vegan pom recipes from a variety of sources.

~West of Persia's Khoresht Fesenjan (aka Persian Pomegranate Walnut Stew) and Muhamarra (aka red bell pepper, walnut, and pomegranate dip).

~VegCooking.com's Granada Salad, Pomegranate Apple Cider, Seva's Pomegranate-Beet Salad, Nutty Fruit Salad, and Missi Roti.

~My Sweet Vegan's Simple Pomegranate Poached Pears, Pomegranate Ice Cream Lollipops, Pomegranate Caramel (Tart filling or sauce),

~A Veggie Venture's Carrot Salad with Pomegranate

~Pomegranate-Glazed Carrots from Epicurious

~Ash-e-anar (aka Pomegranate Stew) from VegVentures or When Mia Cooks

~Robin Robertson's Rum-Spiked Sweet Potatoes with Pomegranate Pecans

~Chocolate Covered Pomegranate Seeds from Namely Marly

~Yasmeen the Health Nut's Pomegranate and Cranberry Stuffed Phyllo Shells and Fruit and Nut Saffron Brown Rice Pilaf.

~Vegan With a Vengeance's BBQ Pomegranate Tofu

~Eggplant Pomegranate Relish from Bryanna Clark Grogan

~Vegetarians in Paradise has a recipe for Roasted Beets with Pomegranate Syrup.

~Chocolate Chip & Pomegranate Muffins from the Cincinnati Vegetarian Examiner

 ~Beverly Lynn Bennett, aka The Vegan Chef has a Avocado, Orange, Pomegranate and Mixed Greens Salad.

~Happy Healthy Life has a  Creamy Pom Chocolate Pudding Pie-Fait and a Pinky Sweet Smothie, bothe featuring pomegranate. Mmmm!

~Vegan Chocolate Pomegranate Cupcakes from Kopiaste.

~The Vegan Diet compiled several delicious-sounding recipes: Pomegranate Pistachio Couscous; Pomegranate Smoothie; Broccoli, Pomegrante & Orange Salad; Homemade Non-Alcoholic Grenadine Syrup; Bulgar Salad with Fennel; Homemade Pomegranate Molasses, & Grilled Eggplant in Pomegranate Dressing.

ENJOY!

Recipe Round-Up: BBQ

Green's Secret BBQ "Chicken" Sandwich with Thyme Fries

[Best Sandwich Ever!]

It's BBQ season...with people firing up the grill for just about all of the summer holidays as well as simple weekend gatherings. Vegans can barbecue too, quite tastily as a matter of fact. Here are some recipes you can find on the interwebs.

I previously posted the vegan menu from my sister's birthday BBQ, featuring Tofurky Franks, Bush's Vegetarian Baked Beans, Fruity Kale Salad with Coconut Lime Dressing, and My Great-Grandmother's Fruit Salad. All good stuff, I can promise you.

VegNews has a feature on Memorial Day BBQs with a sample menu; Portabello Burgers, Veggie Dogs, Potato Salad, Coleslaw, Apple Pie, Chocolate Covered Cherries, and Vegan Fudgsicles.

Bryanna Clark Grogan has a tempting recipe for homemade BBQ sauce, Bryanna's So Good (And Easy) Bourbon Barbecue Sauce, and the delicious-sounding, Vegan Korean-Style Soft Tacos with Kogi BBQ Sauce.

Fat Free Vegan Kitchen has Barbecued Seitan Ribz, Grilled Baby Eggplants with Korean BBQ Sauce, and Chipotled Barbecued Tofu.

VegCooking.com has some Sizzling BBQ contest winning menu items; Dean's Tempting Teriyaki Tempeh Salad, Four-Tier Potato-Macaroni Salad; and Grilled Shiitake Mushrooms. They've also got The Mad Cowboy recipe from Native Foods...mmmm. You can search their recipes for a few more BBQ items.

Eat.Drink...Better suggests Roast Corn on the Cob, Veggie Burgers, Vegetarian Baked Beans, Jacket Sweet Potatoes, Grilled Pizza (!), TLTs, Tabbouleh, and Fruit Crumble.

Vegan BBQ via HamptonRoads.com: Grilled Basic Vegan Burgers, Soy Cheese Burgers, Vegan Cowboy Steaks, Grilled corn on the cob with soy herb butter, Grilled Veggie Kebabs, and Tofu Pound Cake.

Even Delish has recipes for a vegetarian BBQ; Packet-Roasted Balsamic Green Beans and Peppers, Fire-Roasted Salsa, Grilled Artichokes, Grilled Pepper Salad, Grilled Corn with Chipotle-Lime "Butter", Grilled Tomato Gazpacho, Grilled Smoky Eggplant Salad, Grilled Eggplant and Portabello Sandwich, Tomato-and-Olive-Stuffed Portobello Caps, Garden Pizza, Grilled Tofu with Mediterranean Chopped Salad, Black Bean and Hominy Succotash with Barbecued Portobello Mushrooms, and Grilled Eggplant "Parmesan" Sandwich.

[Just remember to use vegan cheeses like Daiya Shreds, Parma or Galaxy Foods' Vegan Grated Topping in Parmesan Flavor, and vegan margarine like Earth Balance in these recipes. You should be able to find all of these items at Whole Foods. Earth Balance can also be found at Sprouts.]


And some general Vegetarian BBQ Tips and Tricks: Barbecue Meal Ideas and Meatless Grilling How-Tos from Suite 101.com.


Lastly, here's Bobby Flay featuring Colleen Patrick-Goudreau's vegan BBQ.

Recipe Round-Up: Mother's Day (Kinda)

Sunny Blueberry Corn Muffins from Vegan with a Vengeance

Uh, I didn't do a recipe round-up for Mother's Day for two reasons. One, for some reason I was thinking Mother's Day was a couple weeks away still. Whoops! Good thing my sister emailed me to coordinate. And two, anything really goes for Mother's Day. If families have traditions, they are quite varied.

That said, I think two of the most common things are brunch and tea parties for Mom. So, I will give ya a couple of links to help out, but you are on your for this, my friends.

VegNews wrote a little featurette with some amazing brunch ideas for mom which included: Irish Coffee with Whipped Cream, Blueberry Scones, Potato Pancakes, Tempeh Sausage, Tofu Scramble, Chive Biscuits, Cashew Gravy,French Toast with Strawberry-Rhubarb Syrup, Cinnamon Buns, Vegan Crepes, and Peanut Butter Frozen Yogurt.

VegCooking.com offers this elegant brunch menu; Apple Crisp, Tofu Scramble, “Sausage”-and-Bean Burritos, “Bacon,” Potato, and Green Onion Frittata, Tomato-Pesto Platter, and Fresh Fruit Platter.

You can refer to my recipe round-up post on Spring Tea Parties, which has some great ideas for both brunches and tea parties.

Lastly, you can be a copycat. I'm making these recipes from Isa Chandra Moskowitz's Vegan Brunch: Hash Browns,  Tempeh Sausage Pastry Puffs, and Cinnamon Rolls, along with some fruit. That's not all we are having but the rest of the food is omnivorian.

Of course, you can always pick out some of the other great recipes from Isa's Vegan Brunch. But if you are making the Chesapeake Tempeh Cakes, save some for me because I have been dying to try them.

Recipe Round-up: Cinco De Mayo

In Phoenix, Cinco de Mayo is one big par-tay with margaritas, cervezas, Mexican polka music, and tons of good Mexican food. All the Mexican restaurants, of which there are MANY are always crowded on Cinco de Mayo, especially the ones hosting big fiestas. I actually try to celebrate Cuatro or Seis de Mayo instead, at least for dining out.

On to the recipe round-up!

RECIPES
I've previously showcased several favorites that would be perfect for a Cinco de Mayo dinner; Hot Truck Tacos, Sarah's Seven Layer Bean Dip, and Sopapillas! So if you haven't checked those out already, you might want to.

I've also made these Mexican Hot Chocolate Snickerdoodles (right) from Isa and Terry before, and while they are tasty, this is a cookie that I can hold back on. But if you like chocolate, chile, and snickerdoodles, this cookie is definitely for you.

FatFree Vegan's Mexican Lasagna. Susan also has a whole bunch of options listed under her Southwestern/South American regional category.

A Lazy Vegan shares her vegan tamales.

Book of Yum has some easily veganized gluten-free Vegetarian Zucchini Green Chili Enchiladas.

Cooking.com's Sangria Cha Cha Cha! I always prefered Sangrias to Margaritas myself.

FULL MENU IDEAS
Gluten-Free Goddess' New Mexico take on CdM: Roasted Yellow Tomato Salsa, Skillet Cornbread with Green Chiles, Roasted Vegetable Salsa, Sweet Potato Shoestring Fries with Santa Fe seasonings, Joey's Kicked Up Rockin' Guac, Brown Rice Tortilla Chips, Jalapeno Lime Hummus, Mexican Pumpkin Soup, Sweet Potato Black Bean Enchiladas, Roasted Green Chile Sauce, Calabasitas, Spanish Rice Bake, Vena Mexican Chocolate Cake, Flourless Chocolate Cake, Orange Creme Cupcakes, and Banana Lime Ice Scream. WOW! She is really prepared for CdM!

Vegetarian Times has a few handy recipes on their wesbite:
Oven-Crisp Black Bean and Corn Flautas, Vegetables and Rice with Pumpkin Seed Sauce, Roasted Enchiladas with Tomatillo Sauce (needs vegan cheese, try Daiya), Mexican-Style Hummus, Chocolate-Chile Mole Meringues (needs egg replacer), and Posada Punch.

The Innocent Primate Blog has a menu of Pico de Gallo Salsa, Tomatillo Salsa, Hearty Black Bean and Corn Salsa, Mexican Quinoa, Spicy Potato Wedges, and Margaritas.

About.com featured a 30-Second Chili 'Cheese' Dip, Basic Vegan Guacamole, Easy Mushroom Fajitas, Sweet Mexican Tortilla Chips, Mexican Chocolate Cake, Plaintain Chips, and Agua Fresca. Just remember to sub the dairy ingredients in a couple of the vegetarian recipes with Earth Balance Vegan Margarine and Toffuti Better Than Sour Cream.

Some more vegan recipes for Cinco de Mayo from About.com; Cheddar & Black Bean Dip, Chile con Queso Dip, Gazpacho, Guacamole, Seven Layer Dip, Spiced Edamame Dip, Tres Leches Cake, Vegan Three-Bean Chili.

The Atlanta Examiner has a few CdM recipes: Zesty Vegan Guacamole Dip, Margaritas, Vegan Tacos, and even vegan Flan!

VegCooking.com also offers some great recipes: ‘Chicken’ and Lime Soup, Black-Bean Soup, Tortilla Soup, “South of the Border” Salsa Cups, Enchilada Bake, Flan, Tres Leche Cake (Three Milks Cake), and Mexican Chocolate Cake.

COOKBOOK
And we definitely cannot forget about Terry Hope Romero's new Viva Vegan cookbook. I haven't made anything from the cookbook yet, but it goes without saying that there will be some awesome latin food recipes. While it's not all Mexican food, I'd like to try Terry's Churros, Sangria, Horchata, Sweet and Spicy Seitan-Potato Empanadas, Arroz con Seitan, Peruvian Potatoes with Spicy "Cheezy" Sauce, Seitan Saltado (Peruvian Seitan and Potato Stir-fry), Cilantro Lime Rice, and the Cubano Vegano Sandwich. (BTW, I love Peruvian food. They use a lot of cilantro which is perfecto for me.)

STOREBOUGHT

I know this is the Recipe Round-Up, but if you are looking for something storebought, I have the perfect suggestions. Starlite Rolled Tacos and Taquitos are the best  snack or meal ever. I like the chicken style best. Just find some guacamole or salsa for dipping and you are set. [Whole Foods, Sprouts]

Kettle makes these awesome Chili Lime Tortilla Chips. I love them plain, but they'd go well with a bean dip.Not all Chili Lime Tortilla Chips are the same, either. Several other brands are not even vegan, and at least one of the other vegan brands just doesn't taste good. [Whole Foods]

Amy's Non-Dairy Bean & Rice Burrito is pretty tasty too. I usually have a couple of these in my freezer in case of burrito emergencies. They happen more often than you would think. [Sprouts, Fry's Marketplace, Whole Foods]

RESTAURANTS
AzVegan.com has a good list of veg-friendly Mexican and Southwestern restaurants. I'll just add that Serrano's, Garcia's, and Macayo's have informed me that they do not use lard in their beans, and Garcias doesn't use lard at all. Taco del Mar offers vegan burritos on their menu. Both Del Taco and Taco Bell have veganizable veggie and bean burros, and Taco Bell's Fresco Bean Burrito is vegan as ordered. Taco Bell will substitute just about anything for you.



VIDEO
And lastly, Isa and Terry with the Post Punk Kitchen and their Mexcellente! show featuring Tamales with Seitan and Chipotle Peppers, Guacamole, Salsa Verde, Papaya Salsa, and Horchata. If you've never made tamales before, they have a good demonstration of how to wrap them.




¡Salud!

Recipe Round-up: Spring Tea Party

For my 30th birthday a few years ago, my sister gave me a Mad Hatter vegan-friendly tea party. She really should have gone into party planning, because she is awesome at it. The photos in this post are from that party, more decorations than food.

I've been wanting to have another tea party ever since. I'm actually not a fan of tea, and I don't like hot beverages. Tea, well, it all pretty much tastes the same to me, unless I dump a truckload of sugar into it...and that's just not the best idea. I prefer lemonade or limeade. BUT! But, I totally love all the things that accompany a tea party: cucumber sandwiches and other little sammies, scones and jam, green salads, and desserts like Carrot Cake and Strawberry Shortcake.


CUCUMBER SAMMIES
Vegan Yum Yum's fancy-looking Cucumber Tea Sandwiches.

The Lunchbox Bunch's Cucumber Mint Tea Sandwiches.

Vegan Yum Yum's Pressed Avocado, Hummus, and Cucumber Sandwiches.

mooflyfood has these Dainty Cucumber Sandwiches.

Vegetarian Resource Group of Tucson Arizona posted this Vegetarian Tomato & Cucumber Sandwich.


EGGLESS SALAD SAMMIES
Vegan Wolf's Egg Salad Sandwich Spread.

FabulousFoods.com has a Vegan World Eggless Egg Salad.

The Blooming Platter's Vegan Egg Salad.

Lee Busch via the Post Punk Kitchen shared this Tofu "Egg" Salad.

I Married An Omnivore's Vegan Egg Salad Sandwiches has a little bit of vegan cheddar cheese which I've not seen before.


Chez Bettay's Mocking Egg Salad.

[Short-cut: Whole Foods and Trader Joe's both sell pre-made vegan eggless salad in the deli sections.]


OTHER SAMMIES
Chez Bettay's Banana Mayo Suprise Tea Sandwich. I think the surprise is chili peppers...which certainly surprised me when I read it!

The Blooming Platter has some interesting recipes! I really like the idea of this Strawberry Chutney on Grilled Baguette Slices!


SCONES AND CREAM
Eating Well²'s version of Clotted Non-Cream.

Sweet Sassafras' Vegan Cream Scones with Pear and Cardamom.

Peace by Pastries has an interesting Lemon Ginger Scones recipe.

Vegan YumYum's Lemon Maple Scones with Vegan Clotted Cream.

i Heart wellness has a Pumpkin Vegan Scone that looks good for more than just the fall.

Everybody Likes Sandwiches has this delicious sounding Pear & Ginger Vegan Scone.

Veganicious' Orange Chocolate Chip Scones. YUM! These sound particularly good to me right now.

Isa Chandra Moskowitz via The Daily Green offers us a savory scone recipe, Vegan Tomato Rosemary Scones.

KALE SALAD
Vegan Yum Yum's uber-delicious-looking Kale Salad with Orange-Blackberry Vinaigrette....OOOH!

The Discerning Brute shared a Raw Kale Salad w/Avocado & Tomato recipe.

Go Dairy Free- Kale Salad w/Orange Ginger Dressing

Kristen's Raw features this Fennel Orange Kale Salad

I'm drooling over Vegan Yum Yum's BLT Salad....I've got to try this one for sure, and I'm not waiting for a tea party to do it!

Vegan Dietician's Massaged Kale Salad

Food & Wine has this easily-veganized Greek Kale Salad. The only non-vegan ingredient listed is the feta cheese. And believe it or not, there is a vegan feta cheese available out there called Soy Feta. In fact it is sitting in my refrigerator. I still have not tried it, but you can get it at Whole Foods. You can also try making your own, just google "vegan feta cheese" and you'll find some recipes.

Manifest Vegan's Fruity Kale Salad with Coconut Lime Dressing looks divine.

[Short-cut: Whole Foods usually has one or two tasty vegan Kale Salads in their deli.]

MISC GOODIES
The Blooming Platter has a unique Vegan "Cheese" Ball with Smoked Almonds, Scallions, and Olives.

The Blooming Platter's Vegan Cucumber-Dill Spread, Dip, or Sauce

The Blooming Platter's Vegan Carrot-Cucumber-Cashew Soup. This is a warm soup, but still sounds perfect for a tea party.

TEA PARTY MENUS
Steph's Cup of Tea has a tea party menu containing Mushrooms on Toast, Cucumber-Rosemary Sandwiches, Maple Blueberry Scones, Vegan Clotted Cream, and Choc-Dipped Apricots.

Mia F of Associated Content had some ideas for a Vegan Mother's Day Tea Party that can be used just about whenever. On the menu: Cucumber Sandwiches, Tomato Avocado Sandwiches, Pumpkin Cream Cheese Spread, Vegan Cranberry Orange Scones, Vegan Banana Nut Muffins, and Vegan Fruit and Nut Cookies.


BOOK RESOURCES
Colleen Patrick-Goudreau at Compassionate Cooks has a little Afternoon Tea ebook for sale featuring this menu: Mexican Wedding Cookies, Classic Currant Scones, Eggless Egg Salad Sandwich, Cucumber and Cream Cheese Sandwich, and Roasted Red Pepper, Artichoke and Pesto Sandwich.

Isa Chandra's Vegan Brunch cookbook has a good bunch of recipes perfect for tea parties: Carmelized Vidalia Onion Quiche, Tofu Benny (eggless benedict), Potato Spinach Squares, Coleslaw Potato Salad with Cumin Seeds, Tempeh Sausage Pastry Puffs, Chesapeake Tempeh Cakes, Apple Rosemary Scones, and Garden Herb Spread, just to name a few.

Recipe Round-up: Easter

As a kid my favorite Easter dinner was ham (preferably honey-baked), green beans, my great-grandmother's fruit salad which is a variation of ambrosia, scalloped potatoes, bread rolls, and for dessert, cream pie, strawberry shortcake, or carrot cake.

'Cheesy' Scalloped Potatoes [Recipe]

I now make vegan versions of the green beans, fruit salad, scalloped potatoes (pictured above-they taste so much better than they look!), bread rolls, strawberry shortcake, and carrot cake whenever I attend special family dinners.

A few years ago I was looking for a good main dish to supplement the vegan-friendly sides that my family was preparing, and I found a recipe for Easter Pie, a vegan version of the traditional Italian Easter dish. I've made it for several Easters now, and even several vegan Thanksgivings as it is fairly popular. I highly recommend the Easter Pie, with one modification, use only 1 lb of tofu instead of 2 lbs.

Easter Pie [Recipe]

If you are going to a party or potluck, or if you need to send some treats to school, I think Taste of Home's Mr. Fruit Bunny (photo right) is an excellent idea (fruit slices forming a friendly bunny face).

More Easter Ideas:

Easter Dinner
VegCooking.com's Elegant Easter Dinner: Mustard and Apricot Glazed 'Ham', Slow-Cooked Collard Greens, Creamy Mashed Potatoes with Chives, Apple Walnut Cake, and Scorched Carrots.

VegCooking.com's Animal-Friendly Easter Eats From Around the World: Veggie Baked 'Ham'(USA), Red Potato Salad (USA), Rosquillas of the Holy Week (Spain), Easter Pie (Italy), Babka (Poland), & Potato Pancakes (Germany).

Bryanna Clark Grogan has tons of vegan Easter dinner (and brunch) ideas. She has SO many ideas and links to her recipes, that I'll just let you explore her websites. Start Here, and you'll see a photo of her Cinnamon Roll Lamb which is cute for an Easter brunch.

And speaking of animal shaped breads, VegWeb has this cute little Bunny Bread.

Veg News has some ideas for a vegan Easter brunch, egg (decorating) replacer, candy baskets, and a healthier version of the holiday.

Easter Chocolates/Candy
You can make your own peanut butter chocolate eggs if you would like, just use one of these recipes and look for an egg-shaped candy mold at your local craft shop. Of course, if you prefer to avoid the representation of eggs, I am sure there are other shapes you can find that would be just as cute (spring flowers, rabbits, lambs, etc.)

It's a little late to order the special chocolates and candies from some online sources, and they tend to be a bit pricey, but here is where you would shop for seasonal chocolates and other goodies.

Pangea

Vegan Essentials

PETA

Chocolate Decadence

Cosmos Vegan Shoppe

The good news for late-birds is there are plenty of candies and treats available at your local grocery store that are vegan- and Easter basket-friendly. Here are a couple of lists to help you out.
Vegan Candy is Dandy
I Can't Believe It's Vegan

And you can find some vegan chocolate/candy bars at Trader Joes, Sprouts, and Whole Foods. Some vegan-friendly brands to look for (just be aware that not every flavor variation is vegan so check the ingredients and look for the dark chocolates): Endangered Species, Chocolove, Dagoba, Ritter Sport, Crispy Cat,Twilight, Jokerz, Buccaneer, and Mahalo.

Etsy has a few vegan chocolate Easter treats as well, though they are going fast.

chocoagogo's Vegan Peanut Butter Chocolate Bunny (photo right)
Sweet Fritsy's Vegan Peanut Butter Easter Eggs, White or Dark Chocolate