May 8, 2016
I get my beautiful brown bangs from mom, as evident in this picture of my Mom and her twin brother on trike patrol. On her day, my mother requested a chocolate cake with vanilla icing. So that is what she got. I Read more…
April 3, 2016
Like New York, Philadelphia’s vegan options are ever-evolving. From the vegan mock meat Asian restaurants I visited decades ago when I briefly contemplated moving to Philly with a friend to all the brief day trips through the passing years, today’s highlights are a quick skimming off the mound of Philly vegan options to Read more…
March 12, 2016
The Sanctum has a fresh, vibrant vegan breakfast items that are the perfect start for a long day of sites. Any place with a mural like that is bound to deliver on plant-based goodies… equally important, kick-butt French press coffee equivalent to nine cups of hotel’s brown, hot water. Normally I Read more…
March 10, 2016
Hey, you know what? By the end of this year I will be 49 states reporting! I’m currently in Central Florida on an extended weekend jaunt to officially report on its offerings for the first time. There’s plenty here… now. That wasn’t always the case. A day of work then travel Read more…
March 9, 2016
Will walk for vegan food: On a beautiful afternoon, I strolled from Brooklyn to Manhattan to check out Nix, a new casual restaurant from Michelin-starred chef John Fraser. The attention to detail–from the space to the water to the service to the, of course, the menu–was impeccable. First, from my walk over Read more…
February 19, 2016
I was so excited to try this cake out after seeing BestofVegan‘s post in Instagram. Always on the hunt for new baking adventures and always having a lot of bananas to use up, this was perfect! To start, you need to make a chocolate cake. I doubled Isa’s basic chocolate cupcake Read more…
February 18, 2016
There are many things I enjoy about omusubi, Japanese rice balls with goodies within. They are handheld, small, and contain the flavor punch of an entire meal… and, lastly, they are not a meal. I had a dinner reservation on the horizon, after all. At Hanamizuki, a pretty cafe near Read more…
February 17, 2016
I kind of have a thing for impractical cake bakeware, specialized Nordicware pieces that are intricate and fun. Of course most of my pieces are from the Williams Sonoma Outlet, as 50$ for a cake pan is a bit steep. My latest 60% of Nordicware pan seemed most promising: the Shortcake Baskets Pan. Read more…
January 10, 2016
I am starting a month of salads! So most of my week’s groceries were from the produce section. In order to hold my interest while sustaining my nutritional needs, I was going to do a lot of mixing and matching. You know what they say about variety… So here are my Read more…
January 4, 2016
Guittard‘s Cocoa Rouge is a wonderful red Dutch processed cocoa powder, the first in my quest of finding a go-to cocoa powder. The reddish brown is Earthy and clay-like. The deep brown chocolate cake boasts the cocoa’s richness. Those light chocolate smears are melted chocolate chunks. Once the cake is Read more…
December 30, 2015
Match #1 of the V.V. Burger Showdown Semi-Finals: I Must Break You(r Brand Marketing). Pickle Shack vs. Bareburger We are now in the Semi-Finals of the V.V. New York City Burger Showdown! Sixteen burgers in, I have tasted some amazing burgers. But with new burger options already in waiting for another match-up, this field is ever-evolving. Read more…
December 13, 2015
Upcycled bread box. Yellow and teal. “You don’t bring me flours anymore.” Coke bottle crate spice holder. Vintage aesthetic / modern function. Animals on plates. Black radish heart procession. In the train, out at the station, the slither of pink sunset. Christmas is here. Fir on the floor. Weekly banana bread. Read more…
November 11, 2015
I went to Dirt Candy back in 2012 when they were a tiny, dark, bustling space. Sadly, the tiny, dark, bustling space was all I could remember years later. But now–Dirt Candy is in a much, much larger space. It was quiet and relaxed on our Tuesday evening visit. There Read more…
October 31, 2015
Ever since I’ve made successful meringues, I’ve imagined this cake (with the help of various seasonal blog posts): bright white spooky ghosts rising from a chocolate ground. As it sometimes works out: In my head, it was much better than reality. The cake was a sure bet. Isa’s basic, springy Read more…
September 3, 2015
I specially ordered this banana-encased vegan cake and dropped it off at Red Bamboo for them to serve us after dinner. Unfortunately I don’t recall who I ordered it from. Are you out there, cake maker? My old co-workers got me this vegan cake back in the day in 2004. Read more…
August 22, 2015
On the way to Alaska, finally! We spent most of the day traveling. Here are some of the pictures I took from the air… because there was no food around. Constellations on land. The land is organized in neat patchwork, dotted with the clouds shadows. I was excited to catch Read more…
August 5, 2015
Travel tucks you into new environments, which facilitate different experiences. And experience is the basis of all learning, all growth. So, travel is enlightenment…. Luckily, there is no need to head to an ancient Buddhist temple to derive this wisdom. There is plenty of beauty, adventure, inspiration, oddity (and vegan eats) just a couple of hours away. Read more…
August 3, 2015
I am excited to report on Sweet Annabelle’s, an all-vegan ice cream maker from right here on Long Island. I made the trip to Northport to meet the magical lady behind Sweet Annabelle’s and collect my baby-sized chocolate chip ice cream cake. But c’mon, an ice cream sandwich for the road? Read more…
July 17, 2015
Another jam-packed day ahead of me and needing the boost, I had the tart from Louisville’s Flora Vegan Treats for breakfast. Clearly by observing Exhibit A below you can see it was light and crisply satisfying–like you want these kinds of tarts to be. The filling was blackberry, the ideal partner for the lemon zested Read more…
July 13, 2015
In my goal of V.V. hitting “all 50 states reporting” status, summer is the time to pack on the states. Getting out of New York and past the tristate area to make it to these unreported on states is a daunting task… as is the return to the tri-state area. So Read more…
July 3, 2015
We were not the only folks looking to doorbust for one of the all-vegan breakfast options at Pingala Cafe & Eatery in Burlington, an Earthy spot for simple vegan fare. Two minutes after opening time, there was a line at the counter. Perhaps if this sculpture and the wild flow of the Winooski river Read more…
December 28, 2014
Christmas means running around… with cakes. It was the gorgeous whirlpool bundt that decked the halls. First, in pumpkin chocolate chip, using the last of the fall’s pumpkin puree. A breath of downtime with the Netflix yule log and the waiting Christmas tree. Another bundt for another Christmas! This time, Read more…
November 28, 2014
August 24, 2014
In my quest of reporting vegan eats near and far, I have grown quite adept at planning trips with maximum “umph.” To follow, my most recent excursion to Philadelphia by way of the Jersey Shore, two destinations with thriving vegan options. In the interest of my hazy Sunday head, I Read more…
July 29, 2014
My first go at Hummingbird Cake, vegan style, was a bit of a fail. So I won’t share the recipe. But I was hopeful that the traditional South banana and pineapple spiced cake would be a success. Thank goodness for parchment circles. Also parchment strips under the cake while frosting Read more…
July 22, 2014
With my Dad’s birthday nearing and their belated love for Breaking Bad in full bloom, I got the blue raspberry rock candy out of the refrigerator finally. It would be the ultra-pure Heisenberg garnish to his birthday cake! Two big layers of blue-ish cake sandwiching a delicious vanilla buttercream. The Read more…