Tips For Eating and Living Well
Last week my son was at camp, but my daughter Abby stayed home with me. At first she was super bummed that she didn’t have camp, but I told her we could have “Mommy Camp” and do fun things together instead. As a result, we had a great week together! We spent time at a local bookstore, went for a long hike at Hanging Rock, NC, cooked a delicious dinner together, and developed a fun new recipe — Sugar Cookie Granola! …
It’s been a while since I’ve posted a new soup recipe, and that’s mainly because of a lack of inspiration. I made it through the winter with my old soup recipes, like my most popular Kenyan Maharagwe, my Simple Black Bean Soup, my Mexican Tortilla Soup, and my Creamy French Lentil Soup, among others. But recently I’ve been seeing recipes for Hungarian Mushroom Soup, so I was intrigued. Hungarian because of its large amount of Hungarian paprika, this soup also typically contains dill, thyme, and three or four kinds of dairy (!). You know exactly what I did — I veganized it!…
A couple of weeks ago, my husband came up to me and said, “You know what you haven’t made in a long time? Cashew cheese. Can you make that pizza cashew cheese that I like?” Um . . . I’ve never made pizza cashew cheese before, but that sounded delicious! He was probably thinking of a sun-dried tomato basil version I made a long time ago, but regardless, I set out to make him a pizza version. What resulted was my new favorite cashew cheese flavor, so I had to share the recipe! …
One of the most difficult aspects of changing to a plant-based diet is giving up cheese. Many people are unable to make diet changes for this very reason. But once you know that there are many cheese replacements that are creamy and satisfying, you may never want to go back! Today I’m sharing a basic cashew cheese recipe that I’ve been using (and perfecting) for about seven years. I’ve served it during the holidays and at parties with great reviews! Honestly, I can’t believe it’s taken me this long to post this recipe. It’s a family favorite! …
As a mom, I totally understand the need for expedience in the kitchen. I’d love to say my family lives off of homemade casseroles and fancy dishes, but I’m a real human being who, believe it or not, does not live in the kitchen. Regardless, feeding my family well is still a high priority, so getting takeout can’t always be my go-to option. Solution? Quick, nutritious soups that even my toddler will eat! Last week I posted my 10-Minute Roasted Tomato Soup, and this week it’s a 10-Minute Cream of Mushroom Soup. Mmmmmm . . . …
Happy fall, everyone!
As I mentioned in my last post, it’s time for me to return to posting soup recipes since the weather will be turning cold soon. And just to ease you into making soup again, I decided to start with a super quick, super easy roasted tomato soup that tastes like it took an hour to make!…
It’s starting to feel like fall here in Winston, and I couldn’t be more excited! Fall is my absolute favorite season, and it always seems like the shortest. Just the smell of the crisp fall air makes me think of cool family walks, going to the fair, playing in piles of leaves, and eating bowls of hot soup.
But before I get back to sharing soup recipes, I wanted to post my newest — and now favorite — granola bar recipe: Coconut Cashew Granola Bars! My new obsession is coconut manna/butter, which is different from coconut oil in that it’s a whole food — pureed coconut meat. It adds a natural coconut flavor and richness to desserts, granola, and granola bars, and I can’t get enough of it! Combine it with the cashews, buckwheat, and other crunchy ingredients in this granola bar, and you have a nutritious breakfast or snack that tastes like a dessert!…
I love beans so much that I decided to share the recipe for this delicious big bean salad with broccolini and Dijon-dill dressing I whipped up last week. I call it the big bean salad because I don’t want to single out a specific bean, but for salads I prefer the big beans you can easily spear to the tiny ones you end up chasing around the plate with your fork. Top this beautiful salad with my Dijon-dill dressing, and you veggie lovers will be in heaven! You may even find yourself dipping the beans in the leftover dressing for a quick snack! …
For Christmas I received Tal Ronnen’s new book, Crossroads, which is a beautiful cookbook full of vegan recipes that he uses in his L.A.-based restaurant. Ronnen’s dishes are colorful, creative, and inspiring — but hardly “plant pure.” Some of the dishes are fried, and almost all of them contain olive oil. And although some people may be into hunting down impossible-to-find ingredients such as black garlic and Kite Hill vegan cheeses (probably only available in California), others of us prefer simple dishes that don’t require an ingredient scavenger hunt.
One recipe that inspired me was his “Warm Kale and Artichoke Dip.” Instead of using store-bought vegan cream cheese or Daiya shreds, he used cashew cream and wine to add richness to this classic appetizer. I thus decided to alter his recipe to make it healthier and simpler to make, and WOW. This recipe is a keeper!…
I’ve been craving colorful salads lately — especially ones that are easy to make, oil-free, and hearty enough to stay good in the fridge a few days. Since I rarely eat broccoli raw, I decided to come up with a broccoli salad that gets me excited about eating this cruciferous veggie that usually tastes like sulfur.
Traditional broccoli salads contain junk ingredients, such as bacon bits, mayonnaise, and sugar. I decided to leave out the bacon and sugar and replace the mayo with a dressing made of cashew cream and apple cider vinegar. The vinegar actually cuts the bitter flavor of the raw broccoli!…
It’s hard to beat a summer tomato picked fresh from the garden, which is why I’ve been waiting all year to come up with this vegan, gluten-free tomato pie! …
Yesterday my baby girl turned one year old, and I can’t believe it!
One year old already?! How did this happen?
In preparation for Abby’s birthday, I worked two weeks on a smash cake recipe that’s vegan, gluten-free, oil-free, dye-free, and refined sugar-free — and it was no easy task! I’ll admit I almost caved and added eggs and confectioner’s sugar, but I was determined to start Abby’s second year of life on the right foot.
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