December 23, 2013
Sometimes we buy pizza dough from one of the million pizzerias on Long Island. This was a minimalist pie: artichoke, salt, pepper, olive oil. Still using pumpkin puree… these were the pretty little ditties I whipped up for my grade team holiday lunch. Received some rave reviews and I can’t Read more…
November 30, 2013
My white and regular pumpkin puree layer cake with vanilla buttercream and cinnamon glaze. Jay Astafa‘s amazing cashew cheese wheel… and his Thanksgiving meal, though my re-plating killed his presentation. Pecan-crusted seitan, parsnip puree, creamed corn and sauteed kale. Amazing. An impromptu trip to Chelsea Market: Lunch at Beyond Sushi Read more…
November 24, 2013
Heirloom Vegan Eatery popped up at the Leaky Lifeboat on Long Island. vanilla coconut bacon cupcake next to a cinnamon bun fried “chicken” and waffles and tater tots
August 31, 2013
Sweet To Lick Vegan Bakery in Williston Park was 11 days old when I visited. The fresh space has been a bakery for many years… but now it is home to Long Island’s first all-vegan bakery.Baker and owner Michael had a delicious spread for us, as I expected. I have been a Read more…
August 11, 2013
Hamburg–you big, noisy thing, you–I’m spent. Had I arrived in your arms days, even hours, ago, I may have had the moxy to embrace you back. But I’m tired now. I don’t even want to force myself to go through the motions of an excited visitor, synthesizing resources and calculating Read more…
August 9, 2013
This simple breakfast gave me the strength I needed to see the rest of the sites in Bacharach and then head north on the Rhine river. Some wheat Wasa’s covered in strawberry jam. They even had this Wasa-dispenser. Its bottom slides open to reveal a waiting Wasa. I want one. Foraging Read more…
August 8, 2013
It is time for me to bust out and go north on the DB, Germany’s train system. I bought a 6-day German Rail Pass to maximize sightseeing and deliver me snug to Berlin for my flight back to New York. Navigating a the system had its hiccups. I elbowed an Read more…
August 6, 2013
Today was a special occasion for my friend’s family… so we made a vegan cake! I was excited to use Biovegan’s Zuckerstreusel on top which I had picked up at Bio Bio. We used a coconut-rice milk with the only vinegar in the pantry, white vinegar, in make the “buttermilk” for Read more…
August 2, 2013
Nürnberg, a Bavarian city about an hour away from where I am staying, is a bit bustling. It at points felt like San Francisco, then Boston… and then like a Medieval village with an impressive Imperial castle and exquisitely ornate spired churches… and then there’s the city’s significance in the Read more…
July 26, 2013
Having gone vegan when I was a teenager who had terrible taste in food, I’ve never had a proper macaron. But boy, have I looked. Petite, pastel crisp and creamy sandwiches–delicate and dainty, I was waiting for some great vegan baker to get on veganizing these. I knew it was Read more…
July 21, 2013
My mother has been looking forward to throwing my sister and father a birthday party for months. My sister’s 40th and my Dad’s 70th are, after all, big milestones. I signed on for the planning fun and it almost swept me away. Luckily, I’m on my summer break. The big Read more…
July 12, 2013
Wandering around a sleepy French Quarter in the morning, one can feel the residual debauchery absorbed in the buildings. You can smell it. Like when, after a night of drinking, your liver pushes metabolized alcohol out of your skin, the streets are coated. I find that I enjoy the area Read more…
July 6, 2013
I love New England. This I knew but had forgotten. As the hours of watching the scenery went by, I remembered. Here are some food highlights from our Day 2 in New Hampshire. Spoon Revolution is Concord, New Hampshire’s only all-vegan eatery. They offer a small seasonal menu of all-vegan, Read more…
July 3, 2013
The 4th of July is here! That means red, white, and blue baked goods reign. What better use of my farmers market berries could I ask for? It was time to make that flag cake, the one with the blueberries and strawberries that graced the women’s magazine at the grocery Read more…
With original copies of the Declaration of Independence & Bill of Rights on display at the New York Public Library, I knew I had to seize the rare opportunity to catch a glimpse of America’s most important historical documents on display together for the first time ever. I often nerd Read more…
June 27, 2013
2-ingredient banana soft serve straight from the Vitamix! With a homemade hot fudge. Definitely worth an overheated blender. When The Electrician shows an interest in a cupcake, I need to deliver. Peanut butter creme-filled cupcakes with a thick chocolate buttercream. I can’t stop taking pictures of them. I’m also proud Read more…
June 8, 2013
That’s Obsessive Confection Disorder, “kinder, gentler sweets” that are all-vegan and all-delicious. I ordered a sampler from VeganCuts. The sale price sealed the deal. As did that words: “Vanilla Bean Caramel with Sweet & Sara Vanilla Mallows tucked inside, then covered with dark chocolate.” Yes. The sampler included 2 twist-tied Read more…
May 12, 2013
It’s time to bake a cake for mom day! Here is my beautiful Mom holding a pint-sized me next to my sis. And here I am photobombing a very proper picture of my brothers and sister in their Easter best. This became a bit of a common occurrence as I would Read more…
May 6, 2013
I have never baked gluten-free before… but I like baking challenges! I decided to try out both a ‘from scratch’ recipe (from the tried and trusted VCTOTW) and Cherrybrook Kitchen‘s yellow cake mix. On the left, the Cherrybrook Kitchen’s mix. Batter was very sweet (the ingredients list both cane sugar Read more…
April 1, 2013
Since I was a little girl, vanilla has been one of my favorite flavors. I used to huff vanilla extract on the sly, enjoyed only vanilla ice cream, eating around other flavored add-ins, and, as my birthday neared, requested only vanilla cake. Fragrant and delicate, it is still my first Read more…
March 27, 2013
After sleeping in, I was ready for breakfast at Ria’s Bluebird, a bustling all-day breakfast spot in downtown Atlanta’s Grant Park. I meant to get there sooner but my pitch-black hotel room fooled me into sleeping in past 7 a.m… Gasp! [me = early birdy] The place was packed with Read more…
January 14, 2013
Three bean and three pepper chili improves a dreary winter day. Sneaking in salba (and its extraordinary nutritiousness) as an egg replacer, this scallion cornbread’s subtle sweetness balances the heat of the chili. A winter load of chili. Not much beats a hot bowl of chili when toes are cold. One Read more…
December 31, 2012
Sprig & Vine is a delightful cafe nestled cozy and snug on the New Jersey-Pennsylvania border in New Hope, Pennsylvania. On the Delaware river, New Hope offers an idyllic setting for an urban escape… and a proper all-vegan ‘last of 2012’ brunch with Ms. CandyP. We started with some hearty biscuits Read more…
November 3, 2012
As I go on the 5th day without power, I’ll bring you a sweet picture spread of a recent VeganEssentials‘ order: a box of vegan chocolates from Sjaak’s, a worldly chocolatier specializing in vegan organic fine chocolates. It arrived early Tuesday, quite suprisingly, as I hunted down an open grocery store Read more…
October 21, 2012
I love vanilla cake. I love vanilla ice cream. I was a vanilla extract huffer when I was a little girl. In fact, vanilla, though slang for basic and boring these days, is, to me, far more exciting than chocolate. Chocolate is too easy. Vanilla’s subtle, nuanced flavor is a Read more…
