I made this cake for my fiance’s quarter century birthday. He took it to work. Apparently it was pretty amazing. Because I never even got to try it. I guess his co-workers were obsessing over how moist and delicious it was and couldn’t fathom how it could possibly be vegan. And my fiance, who’s pretty tough to please, also raved about it. Which is a relief since I totally screwed up his cake last year. Oops.

Ingredients

Cake:

• 3 Cups shredded Carrots (I recommend a few seconds in a food processor if you have one)
• 1 1/4 Cup of Sugar
• 2 Cups Flour
• 1/2 Teaspoon of Salt
• 2 Teaspoons of Baking Powder
• 1/2 Teaspoon of Baking Soda
• 2 Teaspoons of Cinnamon
• 1/2 Cup of Orange Juice
• 3/4 Cup of Canola Oil

Frosting:

• 1/4 Cup Tofutti cream cheese or other kind of soy cream cheese
• 1/4 Cup Vegan Margarine
• 2 cups powdered sugar (I recommend Florida Crystals Organic Sugar)
• 1 tsp vanilla

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Do not use a hand mixer for this recipe, use a ladle or spoon. Mix all the dry Ingredients together. Then mix in the Carrots and the Oil to the dry ingredients. Add the Orange Juice and mix it all together.

Grease pan with cooking spray or oil. Put the batter into cake pan. Bake for 45 minutes or until knife/toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the center. Let cool completely

Beat cream cheese and margarine together. Beat in powdered sugar and vanilla together with hand mixer. *Add a splash of water if needed. Pipe into a plastic ziplock bag and close bag. When cake is completely cool, cut a little snip off the bottom corner of the ziplock bag and drizzle the creamy frosting over the top of the cake as pictured (I went a little manic with my drizzling). Or spread like normal.

slightly altered from original recipe found here: http://www.grouprecipes.com/44964/best-vegan-carrot-cake.html

I love Halloween. Perhaps it’s because fall is my favorite season. I love the burnt orange leaves in the trees, and the bright orange pumpkins. The cool, refreshing air, and the orange glow of the fireplace. But it’s easy for vegans to see Halloween as one big stress fest, because you’re bombarded by goodies you simply can’t eat. But, clever vegan that you are, you’re going to overcome this battle with glee and confidence! Don’t feel like you have to deny yourself a good time for the sake of being vegan. There are plenty of ways to partake in the fun, without compromising your ethics.

Check out the Natural Candy Store for some vegan candies (no bone char refined sugar!) you can safely nosh on. And award winning Crispy Cat Bars are organic and vegan, created by a vegan. Sold at most Whole Foods.

I watched the Food Network show Unwrapped and they had a special on organic cotton candy by Pure Fun. The people they interviewed said it tasted much better than your average cotton candy. The natural ingredients create a very rich and refreshing flavor. I’m excited to try it! I’ve been told they sell it at Whole Foods. I’ll have to see if I can find any next time I’m there. It comes in a variety of unique flavors (besides original) like root beer, licorice, maple, and cinnamon.

In the mood for a little DIY?
Here’s a recipe for Vegan Caramel Apples!
And one for Vegan Chocolate Pumpkin Pie!
A weakness of mine, Peanut Butter Cups!
And who can forget about Rice Crispy Treats!

Whether you choose to curl up on your couch with your black cat, a hot cup of cider and cheesy old b-movie horror classics like Bloodlust, Blood Thirst, Bloody Pit of Horror, or A Bucket of Blood (corn syrup o’ plenty)…

…or you choose to party with friends dressed in the most ridiculous outfits imaginable, have fun this year! You deserve it!

Mmmmoist. Yummmm. Seriously, this ‘nana bread is tops. The crust is so sweet and chewy.

• 3 tsp Egg Replacer (mixed with 4 tablespoons warm water) equivalent to 2 eggs
• 1.5 C sugar (I like Sugar In The Raw brand)
• 1/2 C oil
• 3/4 C mashed bananas (or one medium sized banana)
• 1/3 C water
• 1.5 C flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 350°. Mix all ingredients together, blender recommended. Grease loaf pan. Bake for about an hour, or until done.

Batter can also be used to make muffins, in which case bake at 375° for 20 minutes.

This dish is so tasty. If you like curry, you’ll love this. It’s got a lovely sweetness to it, and there’s no denying that wild rice and sweet potatoes are good for you!

• 2 C cooked wild rice
• 2 sweet potatoes, peeled, cut in half and baked for 1 hour at 350° in 1 tsp. oil
• 3 green onions, chopped

Marinade

• 1/3 C vegetable oil
• 1.5 tsp. white wine vinegar
• 1.5 tsp. dijon mustard
• 1.5 tsp. curry powder
• salt and pepper to taste

Mix all together. Allow to chill and marinate for at least 10 minutes. Serve!

Thanks, Mom!

A little red curry paste can add a world of flavor to a dish. The curry I used was Thai Kitchen Red Curry Paste.

It’s got a nice sweetness to it. Warning- tofu must marinate for a few hours, so plan ahead with this one. And don’t be intimidated by all the steps. They’re simple steps to follow.

Ingredients

• 4 oz. jar red curry paste
• half block firm tofu
• 8 waxy potatoes
• a few handfuls string beans
• half a red bell pepper
• 1 clove garlic
• a few leaves fresh basil
• a slice of red onion
• 1 Tbsp brown sugar
• 2 Tbsp soy milk
• olive oil
• 1 cup lentils
• cilantro for seasoning

Step 1
Mix up a tablespoon of red curry paste with a couple of tablespoons of olive oil.
Pour onto a half block of firm tofu and let sit for a few hours.

Step 2
Boil 8 waxy potatoes for about 10 minutes. Add string beans and boil a few more minutes. Drain water.

Step 3
Slice up marinated tofu and grill until crisp on outside. (I use a George Foreman so I can grill in the kitchen)

Step 4
Cut up half a red bell pepper, a clove of garlic, a few leaves fresh basil, and a slice of red onion

Step 5
Mix together 2 tablespoons red curry paste, 2 tablespoons soy milk, 2-3 tablespoons olive oil, 1 tablespoon brown sugar and saute for a few minutes. Stir in veggies, garlic, basil, and a little cilantro and saute for a few minutes.

Step 6
Cook 1 cup of lentils- I used

Stir in a little red curry paste mix to add some flavor, if you like.

Step 7
Put veggies and lentils onto plate, add grilled tofu and enjoy!

It’s a dreary day outside, I just took the written driver’s exam in order to get a local driver’s license (never did like the DMV), and the RNC is in town causing madness all up in this place. A bizarre day like this calls for a warm, soothing recipe.

What you’ll need:

• 3 Tbsp Olive Oil
• 1 lb mushrooms
• 4 C veggie broth
• 2 C orzo pasta
• a couple of onion slices
• a few leaves fresh chopped basil
• 1 clove garlic chopped
• salt and pepper to taste

Heat oil in large, heavy sauce pan over medium-high heat. Sauté onion, mushrooms, basil, and garlic. Pour in broth, boil. Stir in orzo, reduce heat, cover. Simmer until orzo is tender and liquid is absorbed (about 15 minutes- be careful not to overcook so orzo doesn’t get too mushy). Remove cover and cook off remaining liquid. Season. Throw on a few roasted pine nuts if you like.

I’ve been intending to make a curry dish for quite some time now and I was at The Wedge Co-op today (cool place by the way-many fresh prepared vegan items for sale) and found a jar of Bombay Curry Simmer Sauce by Ethnic Gourmet. Excellent! So I kind of did an improv dish and it worked out quite well.

Ingredients (makes about 4 servings)

• 16 oz jar Bombay Curry Simmer Sauce
• 2 C (dry) couscous
• 8 oz extra firm tofu
• 12 oz green beans
• 1/2 a red bell pepper sliced
• 8 oz carrots coins
• a slice of red onion
• leaf or two of fresh basil for seasoning
• clove garlic pressed

Empty jar of curry sauce into large skillet or wok. Add 8 oz water. Chop up tofu into cubes and add to curry sauce. Add the remaining ingredients (excluding couscous) stir, cover and let simmer for about 15 minutes (can cook for longer on medium low heat). In the meantime, prepare the couscous.

When couscous and curry are done, put couscous onto plate and cover with curry sauce. And eat! The Curry Simmer Sauce is a little spicy, but not overly so. And I’m a total wimp when it comes to spice, so if I can eat it, it must be pretty mild.

Here are some items I’m digging lately (and no, I am not payed or bribed to promote anything):

Blueberry Vanilla Crackle Granola Planks (other flavors available)

I love the versatility of these things. You can eat them as bars, breaking off whatever size you want, or crush them up in a bowl as cereal. They’re incredibly tasty. Note: they are produced in a non-vegan facility. http://www.honest-foods.com/granola_planks.html

Newman’s Own Asian Sesame Natural Salad Mist (other flavors available)

For only 1 calorie per spray it adds a world of flavor to your salad. This stuff blows my mind. And Newman’s Own is, of course, a great company to buy from since all of their profits go to thousands of charities worldwide. The questionable ingredient would be sugar but since they are a company known for being natural and organic, I’m thinking the sugar is probably vegan. If anyone knows for sure, lemme know. http://newmansown.com

Café FAIR Shade Grown Organic Cordilleran Coffee (other flavors available)

This coffee tastes delicious. Add a little Vanilla Silk Creamer and you’re in heaven. In addition, it is fair trade and shade grown (which supports the ecosystem by not using deforestation methods). http://cafefair.com/

Amy’s Quarter Pound Veggie Burger

These things are fantastic. Throw it on a George Foreman grill for a couple of minutes, if you have one. It’s jam-packed with great organic ingredients. It’s the most robust veggie burger I’ve ever had. Very filling. www.amys.com

My boyfriend is a huge pizza fan. And I noticed we had some garlicy pita bread in the fridge that needed to be used. Pita bread really is the perfect size and thickness for a personal pizza crust. This is a super easy, healthy, and delicious recipe.

Ingredients for two pizzas:

• 2 pieces of pita bread (without pockets)
• 2 fresh tomatoes (puréed)
• 1/4 - 1/2 C fresh basil chopped
• 2 gourmet baby bella mushrooms (sliced)
• 1/8 C pine nuts
• 1/4 C vegan mozzarella (shredded)
• 1 clove garlic

Now obviously you can put as much or as little of these ingredients on as you want. And another thing I like to add to homemade pizzas is chik patty or chik’n nuggets chopped up. Just make sure the ones you buy don’t contain egg.

Preheat oven to 400°F. Blend 2 fresh tomatoes and clove of garlic until it’s the consistency of sauce (if you don’t have a blender or food processor you can buy a can of tomato sauce and add minced garlic on top of the pizza, or you can make a no-sauce pizza and just slice the tomatoes). Strain out some of the excess water from the tomatoes. Spread onto pita. Add chopped basil, sliced mushrooms and pine nuts and vegan mozzarella. Bake pizzas for about 13 minutes. And enjoy!

I was browsing through other vegan blogs today trying to decide what I was going to make for dinner. If you haven’t heard of the blog Vegan Yum Yum, you really must check it out. It’s a 2008 winner of the Veg Bloggy Awards, and for good reason. Lolo, the creator of the blog, makes the most decadent dishes (and is apparently working on writing her own cookbook!). And they look even more decadent due to her incredible photography. Each dish is a work of art.

So, as I salivated over her amazing goodies, I found one that looked easy enough for a fair-weather cook such as myself to whip up. And I already had most of the ingredients. Score!

What you’ll need:

3 tsp Olive Oil
1/4 tsp Salt
1/4 Cup Chopped Fresh Basil
10-12 Oil Packed Sundried Tomatoes, chopped
1 Cup Couscous
1 Cup Boiling Water
1/4 Cup Pine Nuts, toasted
Aceto Balsamico di Modena

So here’s the link to the incredibly delicious couscous dish. I was very excited when I realized the Balsamic Vinegar I had recently purchased, though not exactly what she used, is di Modena, as she recommends. Boy is it tasty.

With all of her creations, she tells a little story about the dish, and shows the step-by-step process for creating it,  which I am so appreciative of. And again, the photos are beautiful! I would definitely make this dish again. Serves two.