What Vegans Eat

Things have been quiet here the past three weeks thanks to a much-needed vacation this wee blogger took to do some traveling around the eastern United States with her favourite American. I hope to offer up a couple of blog posts concerning it over the next week since much time was spent exploring vegan options in Maine and Pennsylvania. First, however, I'd like to get caught up on what others have been doing online this past month, starting with a peek at some of my favourite food blogs...

I love simple-to-make finger foods -- particularly ones that don't require hovering over the stove too much during these warm summer months. Several weeks ago, I picked up some rice paper for the first time ever and tweeted a request for filling suggestions, and then spent a few days having a blast playing with different ingredients. Yesterday, while catching up on internet goings on, I was quite glad to see that Anna from Carrot and Potato Time had recently blogged about rolls. I also got excited upon finding a recipe for Green Curry Summer Rolls on the VeganDad blog, as well as a recipe for Raw Spring Rolls on the Vegan Epicurean blog -- both just from this past week.

I should also mention that last week while on vacation, I noticed that Claire over at Chez Cayenne had posted a recipe and photo of what appear to be absolutely scrumptious Baked Tempeh Spring Rolls. I hope to make these over the weekend if I can find some vegan spring roll wrappers at the grocery store!

Speaking of filled things, cookbook author Dreena Burton tossed around some suggestions for what you can stuff into a wrap a few days ago on her eat, drink & be vegan blog. She mentioned using sprouted grain Ezekiel wraps, which I try to get from time to time since they are so delicious. They're a bit more pricey than other store-bought wraps, but are free of the preservatives you'll usually find in regular wraps, so they're good for you on more than one level. I usually find them in the freezer at the local health food store.

Speaking of wraps, I'll wrap this up (groan!) by reminding everyone to check in on NZ Vegan Podcast host Elizabeth Collins' ongoing Flickr project, "What this NZ vegan eats". The photos will surely mesmerize you into trying the many recipes to which Ms. Collins ever so kindly links!

What Vegans Eat

I'm always a bit surprised at how quickly time has passed when I remember to scroll back through posts to see when I'd last posted updates on what some of my favourite vegan food bloggers have been writing about. In this case, I'm surprised it's been a whole month since my last "What Vegans Eat" post. Without further hemming and hawing, here are just some highlights of what's caught my eye over the past few weeks:

I have been on an almond kick for the past few weeks, enjoying tamari-roasted almonds, almond milk and almond butter. Almonds are such a great source of healthy fats and Vitamin E that their tastiness is just a real perk. I'm going to try something a little bit different this weekend, however, and make this recipe for "Almond Feta" that was posted on Vegan Epicurean just yesterday.

Claire at Chez Cayenne leaned towards Indian flavours this past month, posting recipes for both "Sweet Potato-Edamame Mini-Samosas" and "Mushroom-Lentil Burgers with Indian Spices". Both sound absolutely yummy!

Somehow overlooked when I wrote up "The Ultimate Mac 'n' Cheese Post" a few weeks ago, the VeganDad blog featured his first attempt at concocting a vegan KD knock-off -- "Vegan KD 1.0". I've gotta try this one over the weekend, as well.

Over at Manifest Vegan, allyson posted the following recipe just in time for its main ingredient to start popping up all over my backyard: "Dandelion Fritters"! I should cross-post it into a "veganism on the cheap" post, since foraging for wild edibles is a side-interest of mine that's a worthwhile -- and fun -- pursuit for those who want to eat well and pinch pennies.

I'll wrap the recipes up with one that involves one of my favourite combinations ever that doesn't include garlic. At the Big Raw & Vegan blog, Zucchini Breath featured a recipe for "Vegan Peanut Butter Cups". Go ahead and try not to try them -- I dare you! And pass them on to all of your non-vegan friends to show them just how deliciously decadent vegan cooking can be.

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What Vegans Eat

With the holidays just a few days and a nearly two-week long internet hiatus looming for me, I figured that now would be as good a time as any to take that periodic peek at what's been happening on some of my favourite vegan food blogs.

Nathan Kozuskanich shared a recipe for Green Potato Soup on his Vegan Dad blog a little less than a week ago. With heaps of leeks, chard and spinach, it looks as good as I've no doubt it tastes. It sounds like the perfect thing to ladle into a big bowl and curl up on the sofa with to watch holiday claymation specials.

Mike K at Vegan for the People posted a couple of recipes over the past few weeks that caught my attention and that I hope to try out soon. One is for Sesame Long Beans with Five Spice Tofu and the other for Somali Sambusas. The sambusas are filled with lentils , scallions and cilantro and seasoned with spices like cardamom, cumin and coriander. They sound wonderful --and I'm not just sayin' that because I'm a huge fan of filled things and finger foods.

Speaking of filled things, check out the Baked Whole Wheat Empanadas recipe Alicia shared with her readers on the Vegan Epicurean blog. This blog is relatively new to me and I'm already sold on it after looking over the dozen or so most recent recipes and their photos. I also appreciate that she includes nutritional information on the recipes she posts. I'll be lurking over there a fair bit in the New Year, I'm sure.

Just in time for holiday entertaining for those who like to cater to their guests sweet tooths, Claire at Chez Cayenne offered up a recipe last Saturday for Orange-Chocolate-Chocolate Chip cookies. She also provided a recipe for those who like to cater to those guests who like to indulge a little to engage in their holiday merrymaking: Vegan Irish Cream! (By the way, for some great info on chocolate and what is or isn't vegan, check out this 2006 blog post by cookbook author Dreena Burton!)

Cookbook author Bryanna Clark Grogan featured a recipe for a simple Rustic Apple-Almond Cake on her blog a few days ago that does indeed sound like a yummy treat to have on hand for family or friends who might come calling.

Finally, the six vegans over at Cooking from 1,000 Vegan Recipes have been busy! As of last Saturday, they'd prepared 155 out of the 1000 recipes in Robin Robertson's book. Go have a look at the gorgeous photos of the dishes they've reproduced from it. Better yet, buy the book and cook along with them, using their notes as pointers.

So there you have it--the last instalment of "What Vegans Eat" for 2009. If you think that going vegan is hard because your food options somehow become limited, or, if you're just stuck in a food rut and can't think of what to make for dinner, read the food blogs mentioned above (as well as those whose links I've listed off to the right) and let yourself be convinced otherwise.

Go vegan and stay vegan and enjoy the good healthy eats that come with it!

What Vegans Eat

I'd hoped to kick-start a periodic vegan cookbook review feature on My Face Is on Fire but have been too swamped at the office to follow up with the vegan bloggers and food-lovers who'd volunteered to submit occasional reviews several weeks ago. In the interim, here's an update on what some of my favourite vegan food blogs have been offering up over the past few weeks:

The VeganDad blog's writer's home must be smelling wonderful this month given his recent posts for Ethiopian Sweet Potato Stew and Ethiopian Lentils. I've never cooked Ethiopian before, but am intrigued by the use of garlic with cinnamon in these two recipes, along with all of the other wonderful spices called for in either.

Speaking of the aroma of spices filling a kitchen: I can just imagine how scrumptious it must have been to just stand beside the stove while Sinead over at Kitchen Dancing prepared her Parsnip Perfection soup with its ginger, cumin, chipotle chilies and lime. (While you're at it, do check out her blowtorched Green Tea and Almond Crême Brulée recipe from a week and a half ago.)

My friend Thomas has been visiting me from Pennsylvania this past week and a half, and just yesterday we were discussing "cheesecake" and I was telling him about how I used to make a killer chocolate tofu cheesecake. Maybe I should test this cinnamon-y Pumpkin Cheesecake recipe posted by Ed recently at his Eating Consciously blog over the next few days.

Speaking of pumpkins, Vegancognito's Batgirl offered up a recipe last weekend for her chili cook-off contest winning Pumpkin Mole Chili w/Chipotle Creme and Homemade Cornbread Croutons that also calls for--cinnamon! She describes the chili as "spicy, smoky, rich, deep, and complex" which seems like a dead-on description just from reading its ingredients.

Have you ever thought that vegan cooking's too complicated? Have you found yourself having a hard time knocking your kitchen "know-how" out of the box to play with new seasonings and to try different things? Just keep your eye on vegan cooking blogs like these (see the numerous ones listed off to the right of the screen in the "Vegan Cooking and Nutrition" links list) and I guarantee that you'll soon find yourself wondering what you've been missing.

Going vegan is easy. Not only is it ultimately the delicious thing to do, but most importantly, it's the right thing to do.

Vegan Noms

Gracious! The recipes that have been posted online over the past while and all of the recent developments regarding vegan food blogs have left me really, really happy.

First of all, I want to announce that a half-dozen of my favourite abolitionist vegans have decided to start up a blog specifically devoted to testing recipes from Robin Robertson's 1000 Vegan Recipes. With everything from Tempeh Satay to Pear Fritters w/ Caramel Sauce, they're off to a great start. Buy the book and bookmark the blog and watch for updates!

The Comfort Food Vegan blog featured a recipe for a dark and decadent looking avocado-based Soy-free Chocolate Mousse yesterday. I've never made a raw mousse or pudding before, but will be trying this one out quite soon.

The Vegan Dad has been blogging up a harvest-season-related storm over the past while. I want to highlight something that particularly got my attention from a week and a half ago, though -- his Perfect Pumpkin Custard. I can almost taste the ingredients coming together to make these and the custard looks absolutely scrumptious in the photo he included.