Chai yogurt pops with toasted hazelnuts

By On · Leave a Comment · In Recipes

I’ve mentioned in past posts that during the summer it is way too hot in my apartment to do any serious cooking. Which is why I’ve been trying my hand at homemade popsicles. Turns out, the dollar stores in my neighborhood keep all sorts of popsicle molds in stock and I’ve purchased a few in order to perfect my popsicle art.

I like any dish you can mix and match and I’m a big fan of layering multiple tastes and textures to maximize the flavor experience. I started imagining all of the different popsicle options and a chai pop quickly came to mind. I did some googling and found a recipe that sounded tasty and realized I had some hazelnuts on hand. Chai yogurt pops with toasted hazelnuts? Yes, please.

Sadly, these wound up tasting like watery butt. I’m posting them because it’s important to learn from one’s mistakes and maybe someone out there will read this and know how I could have made this better. I’m not sure why these were so lacking in flavor. Chai tea is packed FULL of intense spices and herbs and I even added extra cinnamon and honey to try and amp up the taste even more. Unfortunately, these really would up tasting like bitter nothingness. [Continue Reading...]

Roasted Zucchini boats

By On · Leave a Comment · In Recipes, Vegetarian

I have no excuse. I haven’t posted here in over two months. I’m not proud and I could yammer on about this reason or that reason but mainly it’s been hot and summer and I’ve been lazy. But all of that is about to change. September is nearly here and temperatures are already starting to drop. There are TONS of recipes I’ve been eyeing these past few months. My oven better be ready to kick it into high-gear because I’ve got a MAJOR fall baking agenda.

I haven’t completely fallen off of the cooking map. I’ve made a few things here and there. Mainly items that don’t require direct heat. Lots of popsicles and salads and guacamole. I’ve been making guacamole on the regs here lately. But that’s not what I’m here to discuss. Today, we dish about zucchini boats! What a fun name, right? Who doesn’t want to whip up a quick and healthy boat of zucchini on a summer night? I’ve seen a number of people post zucchini boats on the interwebs and Instagram and thought they looked simple, tasty and fun. And they are. Super simple and there is no way to screw these things up. You can fill them with pretty much whatever you like and can’t go wrong. [Continue Reading...]

chocolate bundt cake

By On · Leave a Comment · In Desserts, Happens To Be Vegan (H.T.B.V), Recipes, Vegetarian

I love nothing more than a nice bundt cake. I also just love to say the word “bundt”. When you say it, do you pronounce it like “bunt” with a silent D? Or do you sort of try to get the D in there and really enunciate the “ndt” sound? Whatever you do, it can’t be wrong. Because there is nothing wrong with a bundt cake.

Growing up, my mom always prepared her pound cakes one of two ways. She would either divide the batter into two separate loaf pans and freeze one OR she’d make one giant bundt pound cake. The giant bundt pound cake was usually busted out for special occassions; birthdays, holidays, etc. I always loved the look of the bundt cake. A perfect circle with lovely, rolling hills of butter, eggs, sugar, flour and love. I digress. Sadly, today’s recipe is not a delicious bundt pound cake. It’s a vegan chocolate bundt cake. A cake which I think I am the reason tasted kind of horrible. I left this sucker in the oven a solid five minutes too long. Maybe more if I want to be honest with you. And it came out crumbly and dry as my elbows in February. But I have faith that if this cake were cooked for the perfect amount of time. And maybe pulled out of the oven a minute or so before it’s actually finished. I think if you took a toothpick and stuck it in the cake and when you pulled it out it still had just a bit of batter clinging to it. I think THEN you would have a delightfully, just happens to be vegan treat on your hands. [Continue Reading...]

wild berry fruit cubes and citrus champagne punch

By On · Leave a Comment · In Happens To Be Vegan (H.T.B.V), Recipes, Spirits, Vegetarian

I was hanging out with some friends on Saturday at Smorgasburg, a weekly food fair featuring local purveyors of wonderful, tasty savory and sweet dishes. Reason #5,422 why living in the Brooklyn/NYC area is awesome.  Anywho, one of my friends expressed how much it bums him out that he doesn’t like to cook. And I said, “Why not start with something simple? Like these ice cubes?”  Cue laughing fit. Start with ice cubes? Really? He doesn’t like to cook but he’s not a complete moron. And while I wasn’t being totally serious that he should really start by just freezing some water, I kind of was. Because I had recently made these refreshing little gems.

Minimal steps and even fewer ingredients are great ways to turn someone on to cooking. These fruity ice cubes are obscenely simple but gloriously satisfying. Sure, you’re just making fancy ice cubes but these things are kind of secret show-stoppers. As they melt, they don’t water your beveridge down, they just impart their awesome fruity flavor into your drink!  Magic.

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swiss chard and white bean stew

By On · Leave a Comment · In Happens To Be Vegan (H.T.B.V), Recipes, Vegetarian

As per usual, the weather so far this spring and early summer has been pretty bipolar. A sweltering 90 degrees for a few days and then rainy and 54 for the next. I’ve pumped the AC. I’ve shut it off and huddled under blankets on the couch while catching up with Sons of Anarchy. I’ve enjoyed one gloriously sunny beach trip and one pontoon excursion on a lake that went from sunny to 60 and raining in about 60 seconds.

This is par for the course here in New York. If you can count on anything, it’s unpredictable weather in what should be the warmer months. I vowed a few weeks ago that my oven had “gone fishin’ ” til September but it would appear I am going to have to eat my words. So far this week has been very mild and yesterday was grey and rainy. My friend mentioned she was making a dish posted on one of my very favorite cooking blogs, Smitten Kitchen. A warm, hearty and veggie stocked stew sounded perfect. It also involves a butt load of chard and just happens to be vegan! Superfoods FTW!

[Continue Reading...]

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