March 24, 2019
There always seems to be something vegan to eat in Asbury Park. As the area makes a name for itself as a food destination, the vegan realm reaps the benefits. The folks setting up shop in Asbury Park have to care about quality, as the restaurant next store or down Read more…
March 17, 2019
Usually I wear my “Italians Do It Better” shirt on March 17. But I am Irish, too, so it’s a joke. Actually, my Irish blood is far more festive than my other components. My great grandfather (or possibly great-great? I’ll have to ask my cousin who dug deep on our Read more…
March 14, 2019
I’m a math teacher. I’m a vegan food blogger. So, I had to make pies for π day, March 14. I made a s’more pie for each of my classes… and I tried to make them see how delicious math is. I made them help me double the recipe, too. Read more…
February 24, 2019
What a wonderful coincidence that the day I tripped to Baltimore, Maryland was during the extended Maryland Vegan Restaurant Week! I had a big list of eats and sites to see, starting at SweetSide for a croissant. The SweetSide is a delightful bakery that is pretty much akin to sweets Read more…
February 19, 2019
With “Big Ice Cream” beginning to offer dairy-free options, vegan ice cream… or, as Ben & Jerry calls in Non-dairy Frozen Dessert… is sweeping the nation. So I visited the Ben & Jerry Factory while it was only 20 minutes away to have the breakfast of champions: an ice cream Read more…
February 3, 2019
My search for the world’s best vegan chocolate chip cookie recipe continues. This time I tried Baker By Nature‘s version which uses coconut oil. I’ve never seen that in a cho cho chip recipe. The dough was thick, yet light and airy. Sublimely smooth. Gosh, I love chocolate chip cookies. Read more…
January 4, 2019
An ideal Pantry Turnover recipe allows you to utilize several lingering pantry items… without having to buy anything new. When I saw Chocolate-covered Kate’s cookie recipe, I immediately thought of the items I would incorporate into its traditional base. I thought of what I could turnover. First, flour. After scoring Read more…
December 17, 2018
Boy, I’ve been wanting to veganize these for a really long time. Now that I have a pretty reliable marshmallow recipe, this is just the beginning. I’m coming for you, all marshmallow treats… which I suppose isn’t all that many. 😬 Ok, let’s get started. Vegan Marshmallows E Q U I Read more…
December 13, 2018
I finished off the last of the pumpkin puree from the classroom pumpkins with three more batches of the well-loved pumpkin chocolate chip cupcakes. And the kiddos were excited to decorate their own at our Holiday Party. Though extremely stressful at times, I love that my profession allows me to Read more…
December 3, 2018
For many years I have made the same chocolate chip cookies. But I’ve been meaning to try an aquafaba recipe since seeing this post. This, to me, is a big deal since I’m pretty particular about my favorite cookie, the chocolate chip cookie. But after needing chickpeas for my chili, Read more…
November 20, 2018
This is my 9th year teaching… and my 9th year transforming the classroom pumpkins in Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cupcakes. I’m a creature of ritual. And this ritual starts with my enthusiasm for Autumn and… pumpkins. For home, for the classroom, for those worthy enough to give a pumpkin to. I’m Read more…
November 11, 2018
With a very dear friend’s birthday deserving a proper cake, especially after the praise I received for my recent vegan Pom Pom Cake, this cake (below) would just not do. Though it tasted great, it was–hideous looking. There was no way this was going to cut it! So it was Read more…
November 3, 2018
The first batch of cupcakes for this year’s kiddos. I start simple with a chocolate cupcake and vanilla buttercream for our Dia de Los Muertos celebration… The classroom spread. I go to Don Paco Panaderia in Sunset Park every year for the pan de muerto. And they never bat an Read more…
October 28, 2018
Though I love to bake, I like to use my birthday to sample cakes by other vegan bakers. This year my folks got me a beautiful cake from Pisces Rising after I found them, or her really, via Instagram. And lucky me, Pisces Rising just started taking custom orders. After Read more…
September 22, 2018
Williamsburg, Brooklyn now has its own Avant Garden, Ravi Derossi’s spectacular high end eatery that worships the almighty vegetable. And luckily we had a special occasion to celebrate that merited the fanciness. To get in the fancy zone, a cocktail. We shared a bunch of plates, but only after some Read more…
September 3, 2018
Back to school means back to lunch… back to lunch with the only heat source being my trusty mini-crockpot. So curry… not the most seasonally appropriate choice, but I’m going to need something hearty, flavorful, and a vehicle for my leftovers and pantry contents. And it was certainly the right Read more…
August 25, 2018
To me, baking is lovely a means of affection. My time, my care, my precision–these things aren’t given away willy nilly. They’re filled in a cupcake liner and delivered to your mouth, because of… love. And in the process and in the output, there’s plenty in it for me. It’s Read more…
August 6, 2018
The vegan omelet at Invitation V Our final stop, Dugout Végane Pastry The only vegan macaron I got to eat in French Canada Passionfruit tart with brûléed meringue Borders A late lunch in Troy at The Shop. Vegan spare ribs: whiskey barbecue glazed housemade seitan, garlic sauteed chard, yuca fries Read more…
August 5, 2018
A really good vegan brunch is likely up there on my best things list, in general. It’s just food, I know, but is it? Eating is the most sensual of acts one can perform, one where all senses are engaged… one that nourishes the physical body while feeding the “soul.” Read more…
August 4, 2018
Despite the border agent’s assumption that we were in town for the huge Osheaga Festival, we were here for… the poutine. And to see an old friend who is shooting a film here, much closer than his usual Los Angeles. Plus I needed the road. Though my reoccurring case of Read more…
July 24, 2018
Vandal is a hot spot night club and restaurant on Manhattan’s Lower East Side. Part of the posh Tao Group and in partnership with chef Chris Santos, of Food Network’s Chopped judge fame, Vandal could be one of the places that Patrick Bateman might head to with his fancy friends. But they have got Read more…
July 14, 2018
How cool that the Brooklyn Cyclones would do a vegan night! Well, to be accurate it was Grateful Dead Night, Vegan Night, Cub Scouts Night, so on and so forth. But I appreciated the options… and the buzz of Coney Island in the evening, one of my favorite Brooklyn things. Marty’s Read more…
June 16, 2018
Nothing gets me motivated to bake than a Bake Sale that benefits animals. Last time is was for The Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee. This time… for with Mutt-i-grees. So I just had to go all out… First, S’mores cupcakes would mean a couple of batches of marshmallow fluff. I piped Read more…
June 9, 2018
I’m going to tell you a fruit secret. Dragon Fruit, or Pitaya, though exotic looking both on the outside and inside, doesn’t have much flavor. But boy, wouldn’t she be a gorgeous addition to a parfait? Despite its complicated skin, it’s easy to get to the black-speckled flesh within. With Read more…
May 27, 2018
Summer time parfaits started with banana cake (not bread)… using the rest of the bananas. Then the chocolate ganache I had leftover from the Mother’s Day cupcakes. Coconut whip, berries, and we’re ready to assemble. Mint from the backyard and a shaving of chocolate to hint at those thick, rich Read more…
May 13, 2018
When you’re late for the Mother’s Day soirée you best bring a sack of White Castle! Well, this may be my new go-to move. My family got to feast on the new Impossible Slider, now available in all New York and New Jersey White Castles. Oh, and I got to Read more…