Fridays with Friends + Giveaway: Hannah Kaminsky
As a fellow sweets lover, I have long admired Hannah Kaminsky’s dedicated work in the world of vegan desserts. Her skills as a recipe creator and photographer are out of this world. Often, when I have a spare moment, I pop over to her enticing blog just to see what she’s up to. I was thrilled to sit down with Hannah to talk to her about her genius.
Allison’s Gourmet: What inspired you to adopt a vegan diet?
Hannah Kaminsky: Well, at first I went vegetarian simply because I suddenly found myself with many new veggie-powered friends when I entered high school. I found it intriguing, as I hadn’t really considered it a viable lifestyle before, and was impressed at how easily it came to me. After finally doing a bit of research as to why one would become a vegetarian, and all those horrible websites about the cruelty of the egg, dairy, and meat industries popped up… Well, there was no looking back, and I went vegan straight away, after only a month of being vegetarian. Now it’s been about 8 years and I haven’t regretted that decision once.
AG: How in the world did you decide to write a cookbook for your Senior project at the tender age of 18?
HK: Actually, it wasn’t so much that I decided to write a cookbook as a senior project – I lucked out that I had some of the most open-minded teachers in the world. I was going to work on that cookbook to the detriment of all other assignments, but they graciously allowed me to submit it as a final project anyway. So I could have just as easily failed; the cookbook was way more important than school in my eyes!
Hannah recently released a gorgeous new full-color cookbook, Vegan Desserts, that’s arranged seasonally, has lots of lovely holiday and gift-able treats, and includes her own enticing photographs of every recipe. She’s generously allowing us to give away a copy of this volume to one lucky reader. Read on!
AG: What’s the biggest challenge in running a blog?
HK: Keeping up. Keeping up with both the lovely comments, other inspiring blogs, and regular postings with new and exciting content. Sometimes it becomes too much, and my email piles up like some horrific multi-car accident on the highway, but it’s always worth it to sort through in the end, whenever time allows.
AG: What do you love most about it?
HK: I couldn’t survive without the feedback. The reason that I keep blogging is not for money (I only make a meager amount from Amazon referrals every month, as cruelty-free and committed advertisers are hard to come by), nor the freebies for review (though they are a nice perk), but for the community. On the days when it’s hard just to get out of bed, and I have to wonder why I keep writing recipes, a glance at the comments always lifts my spirit. Small compliments really do have a huge impact, and I treasure the thoughtful words from my “regulars” especially.
I hear you on this, Hannah. Cyberspace can feel a touch solitary at times and the human contact through feedback is essential for me as well.
AG: You’re an amazing photographer and have taught me a lot! I especially love what you’ve been doing with my ‘Veganize It!‘ recipes in VegNews. Do you have a preference between taking pictures and writing blogs or recipes? Why?
HK: Why thank you! I’ve definitely begun to identify more as a photographer than cook or writer at this point. 
It’s mostly due to my increased focus on it, thanks to school, and other freelance jobs that keep on graciously popping up. I’m a very visual thinker as well, and I find it entirely satisfying to take an image in my head and recreate it in real life, generally relatively faithfully to my original inspiration. To be able to share my vision with others is one of my favorite parts of the job… Plus, on the styling end, I love having an excuse to play with my food!
Sounds like similar reasons to mine for cooking/baking/candy-making!
AG: Are there any whole-food staple grocery items you can’t live without? (Favorite fruits, veggies, beans or grains?)
HK: Well, this is probably pretty weird, but I adore cucumbers. There are always at least two or three in the house. I just slice them up, salt them, and munch on them as needed. Simple and refreshing, it’s my idea of healthy comfort food!
AG: Do you have a favorite seasonal meal idea or recipe you’d like to share?
HK: Come winter, I make giant vats of stew at least every other day of the week. 
Whatever’s in the fridge or pantry gets piled in, and every batch is a little bit different. It’s just a wonderful way to wind down my evening; get a big pot of stew bubbling away while I work on a few last emails for the night, enjoy one bowl full with some light reading, and then pack away the rest for quick meals later. The leftovers are excellent to freeze for long term storage, too.
AG: You combine your love for making crafts with food, is that a natural fit? How do your readers respond? Are there different audiences?
HK: There are definitely different audiences that visit my blog, and I try to appease them all whenever possible… Although I can tell you right now, I’m grateful for all the crafters that hang in there, because that section has been rather quiet for some time now. It’s tough to balance everything out, so I just post edibles and crafts whenever they happen, rather than forcing sub par stuffed animals. It’s harder to find the time to just sit and craft these days, so although the blog started out only as a craft blog, without any recipes, it really is more of a food blog with a few crafts thrown in now. I hope that foodies and crafters alike can appreciate both sorts of posts, though!
AG: Which Allison’s Gourmet goodie is your favorite or would you most like to try?
HK: Well, I had the incredible luck of receiving your peppermint brownies one year as a holiday gift from a co-worker, and I still can’t get them out of my mind! I love chocolate and mint together more than most flavor combos, and the crunchy topping of crushed candy canes on those fudgy brownie squares just made this marriage perfect. I wish they were available year-round!
Just wait until you try our new artisan truffles and caramels! 
Now for the Giveaway! In her new book: Vegan Desserts, Hannah cracks the code of formerly elusive vegan meringue, which, in it’s non-vegan form, is made with only egg-whites. To win, post here on our blog telling us what you would create with this revelatory discovery? We’ll choose a winner Wednesday, the 7th. Good luck!
UPDATE: This contest is now closed. Esther, of A, B, C, Vegan won!
Fridays With Friends: Snarky Vegan’s Julia Moran Martz
We were so excited to have two featured guest bloggers last month making Allison’s “Veganize It!“ recipes for Vegan MoFo month! Julia Moran Martz, aka, Snarky Vegan was one of our amazing contributors and answers some questions this week in our Fridays with Friends episode.
Allison’s Gourmet: Were you always inspired to cook/bake or did that happen after you adopted a vegan diet?
Julia Moran Martz: I’ve been baking since I was a kid back in the mid-70s ”helping” grandma make grape jelly and complaining about having to help my aunts string beans from the garden. Back then I was also making Christmas goodie boxes for friends and family. They always contained soft pink peppermints, cookies, glazed lemon nut bread, turtles, Mexican wedding cakes, and one year I even made peanut brittle. 
I do remember becoming a much less picky eater after going to college and realizing how handy it was to make a huge vat of something cheap to eat throughout the week. That’s when I expanded to things other than candy and baked goods.
AG: What’s the biggest challenge in running a food blog?
JMM: Finding the time and energy after running my business all day, every day. When you own a company, as Allison knows, it doesn’t shut down for you at 5pm. This also poses an issue with photography because I do most of my cooking in the evenings after work. Natural lighting is non-existent at this time and my house is too small for professional lights.
Also, I should note that my blog is really about both vegan food AND vegan gardening because as vegans, we often grow our own food. Ethical vegans are also concerned about the animal farming by-products used in regular organic farming (all the meals: blood, bone, feather and then manure). My goal is to bring awareness to the entire vegan food chain: soil to plate. There are veganic options for an ethical and healthy edible garden; it’s just an unpopular topic with media so it rarely gets any mention.
AG: What do you love most about it?
JMM: Getting feedback from people who try my stuff and then post photos of what they did. That’s sooo cool! So far my most visited posts have been the quick and easy White Trash Tater Tot Casserole and the higher-end, more time-consuming, fermented cashew cheese.
AG: What was your favorite ”VeganizeIt!” recipe you made for Vegan MoFo and why?
Photo by Snarky Vegan Julia Moran Martz
JMM: The Shepherd’s Pie hands down because DH liked it. He’s so picky and hardly ever eats anything but salad or peanut butter sandwiches but he really liked the shepherd’s pie. Obviously, I have to work on my mashed potato ghost technique.
AG: What was it like to participate in Vegan MoFo? Do you think you’ll do it again?
JMM: I try to do it every year but it always seems to coincide with some big trade show we have to do for work. So it’s a struggle to find the time.
AG: Are there any whole-food staple grocery items you can’t live without? (Favorite fruits, veggies, beans or grains?)
JMM: OMG there’s so much that I consider critical to have on hand. Stuff that we keep in large quantities in the kitchen are: vegan mayo! always at least 2 big jars in the fridge; jumbo Tupperware containers of flour, rice and pasta; huge tubs of raw oats, nutritional yeast, dried black-eyed peas and black beans, pecans, sunflower seeds, and dried cranberries; unsweetened soy milk; lots of cans of garbanzo beans; a really good balsamic vinegar; and romaine, onions, potatoes, lots of bags of frozen peas and broccoli. I also keep a stash of homemade apple butter in the basement. Oh–I do keep some plant-meats in the fridge but it’s limited to just vegan sausages and also lunch meats for quick sandwiches and roll ups.
I did kinda go overboard this summer and grew enough garlic to feed 2 families for a year. Of course, I’m planting more this year. I plant a mix of early, mid and late-season varieties then keep them braided and hanging next to the bag of home grown shallots in the cool basement so they last longer throughout the winter. Storing home grown alliums at 55ºF max is the best way to make them last into winter. Store bought garlic has been treated so once brought above 32ºF won’t store as long. If you want to keep home grown garlic longer, peel, mince and freeze it double bagged and in small amounts that you can break off for soups or whatever.
There are a few things that can be harder to find and I snag several whenever I get the chance even though I don’t use them every week: vegan worcestershire sauce is a must have, organic chili sauce is handy, vegan cheeses (I like the ones that really melt), Ceylon cinnamon (from Penzeys), and vegan marshmallows of course. Whole Foods carries most things but are not always located in everyone’s neck of the woods.
AG: Do you have a favorite seasonal meal idea or recipe you’d like to share?
JMM: My hands-down favorite seasonal item is not one of my own unfortunately but it’s my most favorite recipe ever: Vegan Vanguard’s pecan pie. I grew up on traditional pecan pie and since becoming vegan, I’ve tried a lot of very bad vegan versions. VV’s version is the best I’ve ever had, including the ones I used to make in the 70′s with 6 eggs.
If you want one of my own recipes, it’s gotta be my version of black-eyed peas and collards for New Years good luck. By using chorizo seitan crumbles and a good veggie broth, it’s pretty amazing. Took it to an omni party one year and no one asked if it was vegan.
AG: Where do you find inspiration for new meal ideas?
JMM: I like looking at the food sections of news sites to see what trends would be fun to veganize and I try to stay up-to-date on other vegan blogs. I also have this really cool ancient 3-inch-thick cookbook that was my great grandmothers and it’s really fun to see what trouble I can cause with that. It’s falling apart of course but everything in it is the stuff our grandmothers and great grandmothers made. All traditional ideas just waiting to be veganized.
AG: Which Allison’s Gourmet goodie is your favorite or would you most like to try?
JMM: This year for our client presents, I’m ordering a testing box of vegan toffee, peanut brittle and caramels for myself. Of course she doesn’t have a testing box per se so I’ll likely be ordering “extras,” it’ll be my own little Christmas bonus. ;-P
Are you a vegan foodie or know one we should catch up with for the Fridays with Friends series? Drop us a line on Facebook and Twitter!
Holiday Meals: Dinner and Dessert
In search of the perfect centerpiece for a holiday meal? In years past we’ve done both Vegetable Pot Pie and Lentil Shepherd’s Pie for Thanksgiving at our house, each with great success. Other staples of our holiday tables each year include David’s outrageous cranberry sauce, dinner rolls, garlic brussel sprouts, greens, mashed potatoes with rich brown gravy and stuffing. 
For a complete gourmet holiday menu all in one place and with plenty of options, look no further than the VegNews Holiday eCookbook with everything from pumpkin soup to crispy latkes and my own special Roasted Vegetable Pastries. You’ll find delicious and festive recipes here to feed the whole family in scrumptious style. Planning holiday meals for the people you love can be stressful, but with so many decadent and delicious compassionate choices, it doesn’t have to be.
Finish off a big family meal with your favorite decadent dessert whether it’s a tray of organic brownies, a platter of gourmet cookies, or something more involved like a coconut ice cream and double chocolate chunk brownie Sundae topped with caramel sauce and vegan toffee. 
Complement your dessert with a perfect cup of organic fair-trade tea or fair-trade organic coffee. For holiday-inspired sipping, we like Peppermint Drinking Chocolate or Coconut Nog.
Now, for the other nights of the holiday week, or if you have kids who won’t eat anything green, these “VeganizeIt!” versions of classic pasta favorites (like amazing Mac ‘n’ Cheese) 
are cholesterol-free and even include some hidden veggies, but still have the rich and creamy flavors that everybody loves. For Italian-style family meals try Baked Ziti or Lasagna (available in the current issue of VegNews). Or, for an easy meal for kids or kids at heart, whip up some Alfredo sauce, pour over your favorite pasta and serve with a side of steamed veggies.
For those loved one too far distant to share a holiday meal, consider our many elegant and delectable holiday gifts for the season. Happy Compassionate Thanksgiving!
Fridays with Friends: Better With Veggies’ Heather Blackmon
After a super fantastic month of recipes during Vegan MoFo, we caught up with Heather Blackmon of Better With Veggies to pick her brain on vegan foods, blogging and a super yumm chia recipe you have to try!
Allison’s Gourmet: Were you always inspired to cook/bake or did that happen after you adopted a vegan diet?
Heather Blackmon: As long as I can remember, I have enjoyed cooking. I remember helping my mom get ready to host a party at our house when I was young, which always included a lot of food. As I got older, I was often the one assigned to cook, while she got the house ready. When I lived by myself for a few months after college, I still cooked full meals for 1 (often with a lot of leftovers!). Moving to a plant-based diet has reignited my passion for cooking – there are so many new things to try and it’s exciting! Although I never stopped cooking, I’m in the kitchen more often now and loving it.
AG: What’s the biggest challenge in running a food blog?
HB: The time commitment is the most challenging for me. With a full-time job and an active workout schedule, devoting the time to developing interesting recipes, taking photographs, and sitting down to write daily can be overwhelming. I’m learning better ways to keep myself organized and taking full advantage of my calendar and to-do lists recently!
AG: What do you love most about it?
HB: I really love having an excuse to experiment in the kitchen and to learn more about food photography. My husband and I both really enjoy photography and have a growing collection of travel photography around the house, but food is a different animal. I enjoy the challenge of keeping things interesting and continually learning as I go.
AG: What was your favorite “VeganizeIt!” recipe you made for Vegan MoFo and why?
HB: This is a hard question – there are so many delicious choices to choose from!
The Grilled Tempeh Reuben is at the top of my list, with the flavors and texture I am looking for in a Reuben. The glazed tempeh crumbles nicely, creating the right texture to replace the corned beef. There is so much flavor in this sandwich and it’s the perfect warm meal for this time of year. It is messy, so bring lots of napkins if you pack it for lunch!
AG: What was it like to participate in Vegan MoFo? Do you think you’ll do it again?
HB: Vegan MoFo was a whirlwind month of activity. I had only been blogging for about a month before October started, so I had no idea what I was in for! With every post being food-centric, I really had to get creative to keep things interesting. I followed the RSS feeds and would wake up each morning with over 100 posts in my queue – so many fantastic vegan food blog posts to read! I will absolutely participate again, but next time I’ll be more prepared and have some content ready to go before October even starts.
AG: Are there any whole-food staple grocery items you can’t live without? (Favorite fruits, veggies, beans or grains?)
HB: I always have chickpeas, cashews, and salad greens in my kitchen. Chickpeas are a great source of protein and are in so many of my favorite foods: hummus, burritos, Mmmm sauce (from Peas & Thank You), salads, and so many more. Cashews are a close second, with all the cream sauces, cream cheese, heavy cream, and added crunch in salads. Which brings me to salad greens (kale, spinach, chard, arugula, etc.) that I include in everything from smoothies …to kale chips …to dinner salads. The possibilities are endless with these three!
AG: Where do you find inspiration for new meal ideas?
HB: Many of my inspirations come from ethnic foods I’ve enjoyed while traveling or meals I’ve enjoyed (or seen others enjoy) that are not vegan-friendly. It’s fun to find a way to remove the animal products and still enjoy the flavors that everyone is really looking for!
AG: Which Allison’s Gourmet goodie is your favorite or would you most like to try?
HB: I haven’t had an opportunity to try any of the goodies yet, but there are a few that have caught my eye. I LOVE spicy foods (I’m originally from New Orleans), so the Spiced Peanut Brittle & Chipotle Caramels sound really interesting!
AG: Do you have a favorite seasonal meal idea or recipe you’d like to share?
HB: Recently, I’ve been enjoying chia pudding for breakfast, which you can combine with so many different flavors depending on your mood. I’m still enjoying all the pumpkin recipes, so I added pumpkin to my chia pudding for a quick & easy fall breakfast.
Pumpkin Spice Chia Pudding – (serves 1)
Ingredients
1/4 cup chia seeds
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup non-dairy milk (I used Sunflower Seed Hemp Milk from Thrive Foods)
1/2 cup pumpkin
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 tablespoon maple syrup
3 raspberries
Directions
Combine chia seeds and water and let sit for at least 15 minutes. Here’s where I typically take a shower and get ready, while the chia & water soak.
Add non-dairy milk and mix until combined.
Add pumpkin and mix until combined.
Add maple syrup & pumpkin pie spice, mix until all combined.
Top with raspberries and enjoy!
Holiday Meals: Breakfast and Lunch
Having family over for the holidays can be one of those wonderful and also challenging experiences. A house full of loved ones should be a fun and happy time, but it can be crowded and stressful, especially feeding all of those people. We don’t have a plan to make your house bigger, but if you’re wondering what to feed your omnivorous loved ones, we’ve got some answers.
Photo by Snarky Vegan Julia Moran Martz
Take some of the stress off by planning delicious vegan meals in advance. Knowing what you’re making, shopping before hand and doing preparation steps ahead of time can all make your holiday meals go over smoothly and calmly. For great time-saving tips even for more complicated recipes check out Snarky Vegan’s Vegan MoFo series EZ Comfort Food for Tired Wenches. Here are some suggestions from Allison’s award-winning “VeganizeIt!” column from VegNews Magazine:
Photo by Heather Blackmon of Better with Veggies
If you’re having family staying with you for the holidays chances are you’ll want to plan more than just dinners. But a meal planned doesn’t have to be a big, sit-down affair. For a sweet and simple breakfast treat try warm and buttery scones. Our bloggers have created several versions for you to try: Pumpkin Cranberry, Orange Chocolate Chip, and the latest Better with Veggies version Currant-Raisin Orange, which are all spin-offs of Allison’s original Orange Currant recipe. Scones make great casual breakfast fare as they can be kept warm or re-heated for everyone to eat in their own time.
Photo by Snarky Vegan Julia Moran Martz
For a fancy sit-down breakfast or brunch nothing beats a golden-brown Frittata complete with seasonal veggies and topped with your favorite shredded vegan cheese. For extra decadence and tastebud delight, serve slices of Frittata with a fruit salad and strips of Smoky Fried Tofu Bacon on the side (or crumbled and baked in). YUM!
Amidst all the holiday eating, lunch can be a satisfyingly simple and healthy affair. Turn a plain-jane soup and salad combo into light lunch extraordinaire with French Onion Soup (available in the September/October edition of VegNews), Clam-Free Chowder, or Cream of Broccoli Soup and a very green kale salad.
Of course, we’ve got you covered in the sweets department. Let us do the baking, and make dessert one less thing for you to worry about.
Gourmet cookies in seasonal flavors and trays of decadent vegan fudge make perfect holiday snacks and desserts. They’re also great as gifts for friends near or far. Check out the Holiday Gifts and Gifts By Price sections of our website for seasonal gift ideas to fit any budget.
Come back next week for a super exciting chocolate announcement on Monday, and then holiday dinner suggestions and even a new recipe or two later in the week…
Vegan MoFo 2011: Ghoulish Shepherd’s Pie
Just in time for this Halloween, one last Vegan MoFo Recipe from our lovely guest blogger, Snarky Vegan (aka Julia Moran Martz). She had a super time with Allison’s Vegan Shepherd’s Pie recipe as you’ll see below. It’s such a warming and comforting meal any time of year, but we absolutely LOVE the Halloween twist Julia adds to it! What do you think? What are your favorite recipes for Autumn? Halloween? Let us know over on Facebook and Twitter!
Ok, so I’m on a ghost roll. I love Halloween and just couldn’t come up with any other ideas for the mashed potatoes on Allison Rivers Samson’s Shepherd Pie recipe printed in her award-winning VeganizeIt! column in VegNews magazine.
Of course, other folks have created better mashed potato ghosts than mine. My first effort at making mashed potato ghosts is a bit amateurish but I’m sure with practice they could resemble those ghosts by these other masters.
Use a zippered sandwich bag with the corner cutoff to squeeze out easy ghosts made from mashed taters on shepherd’s pie. Push in lentils for eyes before baking.
This Shepherd’s Pie is perfect, even DH said so.
You may have read here that my hubby is rather picky about food so if he likes something, it’s got to be good, right? Yep. This is a great Fall/Winter dish that will definitely become a regular around here because it’s healthy and something hubs will eat.
Reprinted here with permission by Allison Rivers Samson and VegNews magazine. Any changes on my part are noted.
6 servings
Ingredients:
- 3 1/2 cups yellow potatoes, dices, cooked and mashed
- 1/4 cup non-hydrogenated margarine
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, divided
- 1/4 cup unsweetened non-dairy milk
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 3/4 cup chopped onions
- 1 cup slices mushrooms
- 1/2 cup diced carrots
- 1/4 cup diced celery
- 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
- 2 tablespoons barley flour
- 1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram
- 1/2 teaspoon celery seed
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/4 teaspoon paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 3/4 cup vegetable broth
- 2 cups cooked French lentils, drained well
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vegan Worcestershire sauce
- 4 teaspoons tamari
- 1/2 cup frozen peas
Steps:
- Preheat oven to 350°F. In a large bowl, combine mashed potatoes with margarine, 1 teaspoon salt and non-dairy milk. Set aside.
- In a large saute pan over medium head, add oil and onions. Saute for 2 minutes. Add mushrooms, carrots and celery. Cook for 2 minutes. Add garlic and saute for 1 minutes. Add flour and stir until absorbed. Stir in marjoram, celery seed, thyme, paprika, remaining salt, and pepper. Cook for 1 minute, and then stir in broth. Continue to stir frequently until the mixture comes to a slow boil. Stir in lentils, parsley, Worcestershire, tamari and peas, then remove from heat.
- Transfer mixture to a deep pie dish or a 9×13-inch casserole. Spread the mashed potatoes on top of the vegetable mixture in the dish. Use the tips of a fork to rake across the top of the mashed potatoes, making a rough surface to facilitate a brown crispy top.* Bake for 40 minutes, or until potatoes are browned. Serve hot.
*I used ramekins to make single portion pies with an individual ghost for each pie. Glad I put them on a baking sheet to bake because they did cook over the sides.
Just look at how yummy the pie is under the ghost!
Tired Wench Tips:
- Make a stash of lentils up to 3 days prior.
- Use frozen carrot and pea mix to cut back on some chopping.
- Buy pre-sliced mushrooms.
- Make both the taters and vegetable mixture in advance and assemble for dinner after work. Not sure I’d put the mashed potatoes on the veggies ahead of time because I don’t know if they’d merge into a goo. You can nuke a side dish of veggies and set the table while this is baking.
Now pardon me while I go determine how many leftovers to eat for lunch. It’s difficult to determine this when you have to share with someone else.
Great job, Julia! It’s ghostly delicious looking. 
18 Vegan MoFo Recipes You Have to Try!
October has flown by… like a pumpkin with wings. Of course, the vegan food options just get better as we get closer to the 
holidays. And October was a pretty delicious month too, especially if you were participating in Vegan MoFo! We enjoyed the interpretations of Allison’s very own VegNews Veganize It! recipes from Julia Moran Martz (Snarky Vegan) and Heather Blackmon (Better With Veggies). Check out their recipes below and let us know your favorites. Did you try any of these at 
home? What was your biggest yummm during Vegan MoFo? We want to know about your favorite vegan recipes on Facebook and Twitter. Have a spooky, safe and sweet Halloween!
Frittata (version 1-Snarky Vegan)
Frittata (version 2-Better With Veggies)
Lentil Loaf (version 1-Snarky Vegan)
Lentil Loaf (version 1-Better With Veggies)
Tuna Free Salad Sandwiches (version 1-Snarky Vegan)
Tuna Free Salad Sandwiches (version 2-Better With Veggies)
And you can check out all of Allison’s original Award-Winning Veganize It! recipes here.
Vegan MoFo Month and Mindful Vegan Eating
This Vegan MoFo month is flying by too fast! We hope you’re eating well and learning lots! Two things that are definitely 
lasting are the yummy recipe contributions from our delightful guest bloggers: Snarky Vegan’s Julia Moran Martz and Better with Veggies’ Heather Blackmon. Have you seen their latest versions of Allison’s Veganize It recipes? We’ve been posting them here on Monday’s and throughout the week on Facebook and Twitter. Good stuff for sure, especially this incredible version of BLT from Heather. YUM.
We’ve got pumpkin on the brain this week! Fall is so full of colors and flavors, it truly is a magical time of year. What fun pumpkin recipes will you be cooking up over the next few months? One that I absolutely love comes from one of our favorite vegan chef’s—Urban Vegan Dynise Balcanage’s pumpkin risotto. Not only is her risotto recipe a delicious and healthy, creamy meal, but it’s a mindful one, too. The constant stirring and measuring the softness of the rice as liquid fills each grain is a meditation and opportunity to really connect with food in such a lovely way. (Find her risotto recipe and many other greats here.) Mindfulness in food is so important to us here at Allison’s that we actually updated our organizing system so that you can better identify and understand our product selection. Take a look and let us know what you think!
One of our Twitter friends asked us for a quick vegan lunch recipe. We recommend Allison’s Amazing Veganize It! Vegan Alfredo recipe. It’s easy, filling and oh so creamy –a delectable meal for the month all about yummy vegan meals. Let us know your favorite quick or not-so-quick recipes of the month. Sweet eats!
Better With Veggies Vegan Baked Ziti
We love a good, warming meal, and is there anything warmer than a baked ziti? Well, possibly, but it sure doesn’t get much yummier! Heather Blackmon, one of our featured guest bloggers during the best month ever–Vegan MoFo– takes a crack at Allison’s Baked Ziti for this week’s recipe. Check it out, try it yourself and let us know how you make it your way over on our Facebook and Twitter pages! Ciao!
Friday nights are often pasta night here at the Blackmon house, as we typically have long runs on Saturday mornings. 
I’m actually not one to believe carbo-loading is necessary, but it gets to be a habit and we just enjoy pasta! The funny thing is we actually met my parents out for dinner tonight, but I wanted to be sure you still tonight’s VeganizeIt meal as scheduled – so we’ll be enjoying this dinner another night! 
Tonight’s creation is Baked Ziti, created by Allison Rivers Samson and originally published in her (2011 Award winning) VegNews Magazine column, “VeganizeIt!”.
Preparation of this pasta steps is a bit more labor intensive than I typically like my pasta dishes. Save yourself some time and remember to pre-soak the macadamia nuts the night before. I had originally hoped to cook the pasta last night, but this step tripped me up and set me back an extra day (always pre-read recipes, rookie mistake on my part!). None of this recipe is difficult, it just takes some time to allow the tomato sauce to simmer adequately (45 minutes total) and then baking the combined dish (30 minutes). I would say a total of 1:30 from start to finish, including chopping of the ingredients (but minus the pre-soaking of the nuts).
The macadamia nuts were the main ingredient in this ricotta cheese sub – look at how beautiful this turned out!
After mixing together the tomato sauce, ricotta, and cream sauces – into the oven for 30 minutes. Out of the oven, this looks like a classic Italian Ziti:
I sliced this up into 6 servings immediately, quick photo session, then Kirk and I sampled the goods:
Flavor on this was good – much like the original. This isn’t a stand-out meal to me, but it’s a good hearty option, good flavor, and packed with nutritional value. I love that this includes two different kinds of nuts – one for the ricotta & one for the cream sauce. Pasta doesn’t really have that sexy look on the plate, but this is a solid recipe.
Thanks, Heather!
On Winning, Winners and Monster Candy
It’s always refreshing to know that you’re appreciated. Allison felt a big rush of that this week as she learned that her 
“Veganize It!” column was the winner of the VegNews award for best column! If you haven’t checked it out, it’s a deliciously fun way to learn how to turn non-veg recipes into scrumptious vegan meals. And, the recipes are so easy and malleable that our two Vegan MoFo bloggers are tweaking them all month long. You can read the latest from Julia and Heather on Mondays and throughout the week on Facebook and Twitter.
This week we also announced the winners to our first-ever Tee and Tote Design Contest! Congratulations to our Grand Prize 
winner Erika Themaras, our 2nd prize winner Jonathan Day and our third place winners—it was a tie—Karen Rosenstein and Devin St. Clair! All the entries were inspired and creative and we loved getting to know all of the artists. We hope you love the designs as much as we do, and we look forward to more contests in the future.
Speaking of the future, Halloween is right around the corner, and we’ve got a special batch of hard caramels that just melt in your mouth in four yumtastic 
flavors: vanilla, mocha, chocolate and butterscotch pecan. The creamy organic vegan goo is perfect for any ghouls, goblins and monsters who prefer healthy treats in a scary world. Until next time!
