I held the giant yellow heirloom tomato proudly with two hands. I smiled like a child holding a hand-harvested seashell at the beach.

"Isn't it beautiful?! It's shaped like a plump heart. See! You have to hold it." I held out the shiny tomato to my husband. He held it, nodded and smiled back at me. His expression a combination of shared joy and comical bewilderment at my excitement over such an ordinary thing: A tomato.

Simple Heirloom Tomato Salad. Last night I tweeted this:

"Tip to all the *cooking-phobic* out there: start w/ lots of fresh Farmer's Market fare and a simple recipe. Success EVERY time."

It's true. A simple recipe is all you need when your ingredients are seasonal, fresh, high quality, organic and local. So grab some Farmer's Market heirlooms and try my Spicy Seeded Sliced Heirloom Tomato Salad Recipe. Simple, fast, cooking-newbie approved...

This salad also makes a great sandwich! Just add bread and spicy/whole grain mustard:

What is an Heirloom Tomato? Long answer here. Short answer: "An heirloom is generally considered to be a variety that has been passed down, through several generations of a family because of it's valued characteristics."

"How Much Were They?" Was the next question asked about my beautiful green, red, purple and orange heirloom tomatoes. Don't tell the farmers this - but when I spot and fall in love with an heirloom tomato - I don't even look at the price. Call it a foodie splurge/gourmet treat. Most heirloom tomatoes at the Union Square Farmer's Market here in NYC were about $4.50-$5 a pound. Not cheap. But a worthy summertime treat, to me.

Farmer's Market Fare. I also picked up some amazing bell peppers in various colors: purple, red, green, white, yellow, striped and even black. The 'black' bell pepper was bright lime green inside. They tasted even more delicious than I imagined they would. Fresh, crisp, sweet and zesty.

I also bought some fuzzy peaches, crisp cucumbers, fresh whole grain ciabatta bread, crisp yellow apples and a bag of "prune" plums. I also bought a huge head of romaine lettuce for an amazing $2. I managed to make three giant salads out of it. So even with the more expensive produce like heirlooms, the deals and steals always even things out at the Greenmarket.

Prune Plums:

Bell Peppers:

Onto my recipe...

Spicy Seeded Sliced Heirloom Tomato Salad
vegan, raw - serves 2

3 medium heirloom tomatoes (different colors)
1 cup pitted marinated olives (mixed)
⅓ cup pumpkin seeds, roasted or raw
½ teaspoon cayenne
¼ cup aged balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoon EVOO
fresh black pepper - lots

Directions:

1. Wash and prep your tomatoes by slicing them thick. Place in large bowl.

2. Add all other ingredients to large bowl. Toss gently.

3. Let the tomatoes marinate for at least ten minutes before serving.

4. Plating: I used a shallow soup/pasta bowl with a wide rim. Line up tomatoes in alternating colors. Spoon the olives and seeds over tomatoes in the center of your dish. Pour excess marinade over top the salad.

Olive/Seed Mixture on top/center:

5. Serve with crusty bread for dipping the delicious marinade.

More of my Heirloom Tomato Photos:

Pomegranate seeds are delicious and super healthy! Rich in vitamin K, fiber, potassium and heart-healthy antioxidants. But truth be told - those tiny juicy seeds are very tricky to pry free from a fresh pomegranate. Now there is an easy way to get pomegranate seeds year-round - all you have to do is open your freezer!... Check out two Pomegranate Seed Recipes...

Trader Joe's Frozen Pomegranate Seeds. I am still sad that Trader Joe's stopped carrying my fave product: Frozen Papaya Chunks. But I was thrilled to see them carrying a new product: Frozen Pomegranate Seeds! They are giant plump red pomegranate seeds - frozen for storage ease. Perfect for adding to smoothies, salads, desserts and even eating right out of the bag. I added a few to a smoothie and some to a choco-pudding pie I made.

Healthy Facts: Pomegranates. I love fresh pomegranate juice because it is packed with healthy antioxidants and it has a sweet-tart flavor my taste buds love. Pom-Champagne Bellinis are one of my fave bevies around the holiday season.

But usually, to get pomegranate nutrients I have to juice/smash one fresh, buy pomegranate juice or pluck the seeds by hand from a fresh pom. So I love this new easy frozen seeds option.

Why Pomegranate Juice? You may have heard the hype about pomegranate juice. And while it certainly isn't a 'cure' for anything, it does appear to improve the health of your body. Pomegranate juice is an excellent source of potassium, vitamin K and is particularly high in three types of polyphenols (antioxidants): tannins, anthocyanins, and ellagic acid. Studies have shown that pomegranate juice may be effective in promoting prostate and cardiovascular wellness.

Learn more nutrition facts and how to smash a pomegranate to get fresh juice in this post here.

Now check out these two recipes I whipped up this week - frozen pomegranate seed inspired...

RECIPE ONE:

Pom-Chocolate Pudding Pie-Fait * I made this chocolate pudding recipe here - but instead of using cherries I subbed frozen pomegranate seeds and an avocado for texture. It tasted delicious!!

Creamy Pom Chocolate Pudding Pie-Fait
vegan

1 cup frozen pomegranate seeds + 1 tablespoon for garnish
1 ⅔ cups silken tofu (1 package) + 3 tablespoon soy milk
¼ cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)
1 avocado, de-pitted
1 package Dr Oetker's chocolate pudding mix
pinch salt

1 graham cracker crust

Directions:

1. In a soup pot add the tofu, soy milk, pudding mix, sugar, salt and vanilla extract. Stir and bring to a boil.

2. When mixture begins to thicken, remove from heat and stir in frozen pomegranate seeds.

3. Add mixture to blender - add avocado as well.

4. Blend on high until smooth and creamy.

5. Pour smooth mixture into graham cracker pie shell. Top with a few pomegranate seeds. Pour any extra pudding into separate parfait glasses for an extra treat.

6. Chill until ready to serve - usually 2 hours is enough time - overnight is best.

Another awesome pomegranate pudding recipe here.

-------------------------------------------

RECIPE TWO

Pinky Sweet Smoothie
vegan, serves 1

1 very ripe banana (for a thicker smoothie use a frozen banana)
½ cup frozen pomegranate seeds
1 cup frozen strawberries
1 ½ cups vanilla soy milk

Blend. Serve. Sip. Smile.

*note, there were a few crunchy unblended seed-inner-parts in this smoothie. Kinda like a raspberry smoothie may have. I didn't mind them much - but if you are seed sensitive you have been warned!

I call my Florida Avocado Summer Wrap the Bikini Wrap. Why? Because it has all the buttery avocado taste and texture I love with less fat than with a California (traditional) avocado - perfect for bikini season! Plus Florida avocados make me think of Florida, which makes me think of South Beach, Miami. Which makes me think of beach picnics. This wrap is perfect vegan beachside-picnic fare...

Florida Avocados. If you've never tasted a Florida avocado - do it! I'm sure you've seen them at the grocery store. They look like extra large, green/smooth-skinned avocados. Inside they are less dense in texture than a traditional avocado - and the taste is buttery, sweet, nutty and almost fruit-like in a zesty, tropical way. Learn more about Florida vs. Cali Avocados (including nutrition facts) and get my summer fun vegan wrap recipe...

Avocados: Florida vs. California (traditional)

Cali: bumpy blackish thick skin
Florida: thin, green, smooth skin

Cali: Small, about the size of a smashed baseball
Florida: Larger, about the size of a smashed softball

Cali: Dark yellowish green flesh
Florida: Light green to lime yellow flesh

Cali: 1 cup pureed - 384 calories, 35g fat, 5g saturated fat, 5g protein, 16g fiber
Florida: 1 cup pureed - 276 calories, 23g fat, 5g saturated fat, 5g protein, 13g fiber

*Nutrition info here

Florida avocados have less fat (and less calories) than California avocados.

You can taste the difference too. Florida 'cados are lighter, and almost have a fluffy, velvety texture. Less dense.

I personally love both varieties, but it is fun to change it up once in a while. The soft, juicy Florida avocado shown here is perfect for a wrap. It hydrates the surrounding flavors and adds taste, texture and body. Less dense than a Cali avocado would be.

Florida Avocado Guac? I've tried Florida Avocado guacamole before and it is OK. But kinda mushy. Not really a fan. For guac, I stick with California avocados. But for summertime wraps like this one - I love the Florida avocado.

Wrap Flavors...Carrots, Tomatoes, Spicy Chipotle Spread, Lime and Maple...

Yellow Organic Tomatoes:

Florida Avocado Summer Wrap
vegan, makes 2 wraps

2 extra large wraps (any variety)
½ Florida Avocado, peeled and sliced into thick strips
1 medium yellow tomato, sliced thick (red works too)
1 small sweet onion, sliced
4 tablespoon lime juice (or lemon)
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar (or more lime juice)
2 teaspoon maple syrup
6 tablespoon spicy bean or nut spread (see below)
1 cup shredded carrots
fresh ground black pepper
optional: pumpkin seeds

Spicy Bean/Nut Spread
*you can either use a spicy hummus from the store or make your own by blending beans and nuts with chipotle spices and salsa or harissa. Get creative, go easy with store-bought, or try my fave wrap dip/spread recipes here or here.

Directions:

1. Slice your avocado in half. Rub the extra half with lime juice, cover and stick in the fridge for later use. Or make 4 wraps and use the whole thing. Remove the pit and slice into long thick strips. Set aside in a bowl and coat in lime juice and a pinch of salt and pepper.

2. Slice your onion and tomato. Place in separate bowl and toss with the EVOO, maple syrup, splash of lime juice and apple cider vinegar (or more lime juice). Note, you can also use lemon juice if you'd prefer.

3. Grab your bean/nut spicy spread. See above recipe for options. I used a chipotle hummus dip mixed with a splash of lime juice to thin it out a bit.

4. Warm your tortillas in the oven until they are soft and pliable.

5. Spread a nice amount of your spread onto the wrap.

6. Add about 4 long slices of avocado, a few slices of tomato, onion, shredded carrots and a pinch of pepper. You can add an extra splash of the veggie marinade juices (maple/EVOO/lime) if you'd like. I actually whipped the extra marinade with a tablespoon of Vegenaise to make a wrap sauce on the side. Yum.

7. Carefully roll up your wrap and fold in a paper towel to make it easier to slice.

8. Serve! Sprinkle a few pumpkin seeds on top if you'd like.

Last week the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act Nutrition Bill passed in the senate with flying colors - and while you may not need convincing that this bill is a step in the right direction - here is my take on why the Nutrition Bill matters and why we should dream big when it comes to the big picture story of kids and food. This is a longer-than-normal post, discussing an issue close to my heart: kids nutrition. I hope you will take the time to read, comment and discuss.

Even if you aren't a parent, most everyone has or will have a child in their life who they love dearly. This issue touches us all. My reflections and big dreams..

A Bit of Background...

The Washington Post reported,

"The Senate passed the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act on Thursday, a bill that provides an additional $4.5 billion over 10 years to federal child nutrition programs including school lunch. If signed into law, it will be the first time that the federal government has increased funding for the programs in 30 years."

In regards to vegetarian efforts, Veg News reported,

"The Child Nutrition Bill cleared the House committees with added vegetarian amendments. The $8 billion bill for the proposed Improving Nutrition for America’s Children Act now has an added $1 million vegetarian pilot program. Additionally, the committees added trial programs for increased organic foods and vegan foods...."

The bottom line: 1) funding. Funding for a wide variety of programs aiming to improve the health of kids via the foods they eat. The invisible weapon: 2) intention. The Bill shows that our nation has good intentions for the health of our kids. Will we - can we - deliver healthy results?

Why the Nutrition Bill Matters: Even skeptics of increased government funding for programs have to agree that 1) education is crucially important in our country. And 2) no amount of education, from math to social studies to science, chemistry and literature is going to make a difference in a child's future if that child is unhealthy. Health is number one.

...If you haven't learned that lesson yet - you will. At some point in your life you may get ill, or a loved one will get ill and the only thing that will matter is getting well. Wellness. Without a well state - you cannot succeed in anything. And that includes school.

But I do want to stress that health is relative for everyone - what is healthy for me - may be very different than what is considered healthy to you. The point is that we should all strive to take care of ourselves and preserve what health we do have. But this essay is about kids. School kids. And the food they eat everyday to fuel their minds and bodies. And for the kids, I like to dream big...

This is what school lunches could look like in my dreams..

A few yummy details of my dream school lunch...

Organic Local Blueberries..

Who Needs Tuna..when you can have Tu-Nut on Spelt Bread with carrots...

Silken Tofu Chocolate-Berry-Almond Pudding...

It's no secret that our kids need help. Childhood obesity and type two diabetes rates continue to soar and as a nation we need to come together and help the kids in our backyard and kids we have never met.

Unhealthy kids will surely lead to an unhealthy future. Bypassing "health" on our list of priorities for "childhood education" is a horrific and doomful thing to do. Healthy kids are more focused and energized - which in turn leads to a greater ability to learn - which leads to lifelong success, wellness and happiness.

I am pleased about the Nutrition Bill - but the bill is only a door opening. What we carry through that door will define if we are successful on the other side or not.

While I am not skilled enough to discuss the vast complexities of this bill - I do know how to dream big and envision healthy kids. So here are my hopes and big dreams for what the bill could mean for kids and our nation's food future.

My Big Dreams for Improving Food in Schools:

1) I Love Tempeh! More kids will be exposed to a diverse, wide variety of healthy alternative foods at a younger age. Foods like tempeh, seitan, edamame, quinoa, spelt, coconut water, nutritional yeast, soy/almond/hemp milk, non-mainstream produce items like papaya and goji berries, soy ice cream, vegan cheese and many more..

2) I'll Take the Veggie Burger Please! More kids will be offered vegan plant-based options when they choose to dine in a school environment - and more kids will see other kids enjoying plant-based options. Eating plant-based foods will become acceptable and even delicious and "cool" to kids.

3) I Know Where Those Nuggets Have Been. More kids will learn where their food comes from. And no, your apple didn't come from a supermarket. Your chicken nuggets didn't come from a freezer box. Everything you eat has an origin and those origins have consequences.

4) I Grew These Tomatoes! More kids will be able to produce their own food and get involved in farm-to-table growing programs that teach kids the skills of gardening as well as an appreciation for fresh, local foods as opposed to "tourist produce" from far away.

5) I Cooked This Meal Myself! More kids will be given school-based opportunities to get involved in the cooking process of their meals. Nutrition and cooking classes will be essential and kids will learn to make their own lunches and acquire the skills to feed themselves healthy plant-based foods - for their lifetime.

A girl can dream big right? Lets all dream big together. I can see it happening. Can you?

Now I take a step back and reflect on my childhood and how school foods impacted my path to health and veganism...

My Big Picture Analysis...

Health Comes First. When I named my blog "Healthy Happy Life" my husband asked my why I didn't name it Happy Healthy Life. I stand firm that Healthy comes first. Always. Without health, you cannot have happiness in your life. This fact should be the same for our kids.

Adults and Food. You stare at the clock around noon and your stomach gurgles. Is it lunch yet? Your lunch break finally hits and you and your co-workers split in all directions grabbing lunch bags or lining up to use the lunchroom microwave. Maybe you even swing around the block to grab a to-go sandwich or salad at your favorite neighborhood joint - maybe a Starbucks tea or smoothie. Adults have options. Lots of them. Kids don't.

Lunchtime for kids means sitting down in a cafeteria with two options: what was brought from home or what is offered at school. No matter what you send your child off to school with (money, a lunchbox, or a lunch ticket) - every option at school will have a mental impact on your child. The challenge: making healthy plant-based options the "cool" and desired option in a child's mind (and stomach).

Even if your child is packed a to-go Pure Food and Wine raw vegan meal, coconut water to drink and a giant bag of farmers market produce to snack on - that child will still be exposed to what other kids are eating. And what is served at school. That double cheese greasy pizza with a side of chocolate milk and french fries will still be in view. And maybe even "the cool" thing to eat. What kind of message are we sending our kids if the same place we serve them esteemed education, spelling tests and math books is serving them low quality, pathetically unhealthy food options?

My Memories. It's funny how horribly I remember eating in school when the food came from school. In Junior High I remember kids running at the lunch bell to get in line to buy slices of Dominos pepperoni or cheese pizza and a soda - before the pizza ran out.

Running, sprinting..it was a free for all to get that pizza! If the pizza had run out, the next favorite option was a greasy bean and cheese burrito. No veggies, just high fat beans and cheese wrapped in an enormous flour tortilla. After that there was chips, doughnuts, candy, soda and fruit juice. And if healthy snacks were there - no one bought them. Even a healthy adult vegan like me remembers eating more than a few slices of cheese pizza and tubes of powdered doughnuts back in school. I cringe thinking about how happy those foods made me.

And the crazy part is that this was Northern California - Santa Cruz - an area known for healthy vegetarian living - farmer's markets and fresh produce everywhere. At home I ate healthy foods, but the unhealthy options (viewing my friends eating or eating them myself) still saturated my daily "food story" at school. Bad habits can die hard.

My Awakening. Finally in high school I put down the fluorescent blue Poweraide and bag of Cool Ranch Doritos and started reading labels and nutrition books by trailblazers like Marilu Henner - who was leading the charge of dairy-free vegan living.

Marilu's best-selling Total Health Makeover book really did change my adolescent life in a number of ways. But I was also conflicted. What had I been eating for the past 16 years of my life?? Was my mom right? Was I really supposed to eat my veggies and trash the junk foods all my friends and I loved? Yes I was! I was shamed because I had bought the doughnuts. I grabbed the chips. I craved fast food.

Then suddenly a switch flipped. I got it. The veil had lifted and I was frightened by what I saw. The reality of food in America can be a scary one. I ran screaming from junk food once I fully realized just what I was eating all those years by my own choice. I jumped off a cliff so to speak...

For me, it was like jumping off a rocky cliff into a high tide ocean. Not the easiest transition to make. Jumping off cliffs can be dangerous stuff. That's why it's our job as adults to guide teens and kids down the cliff - carefully so they can grab a boat and sail away on their healthy adult life.

Lucky for me, I had that profound realization. The same schools that brought me lifelong skills in science, writing, math and the arts had been betraying me when it came to lunchtime. The most basic skills of how to eat well and where my food came from were being ignored. Sure there were glimpses of the nutrition pyramid in health class and a food groups chart on the wall in the nurses room - but actually - those guides are ones that I shun today. Dairy, meat and eggs - not in my fridge. Milk free. Meat free. Eggs are not so incredible to me. So looking back I have to ask my school: Where was My Healthy Food Pyramid??

Thank goodness for my parents. And books. And Marilu. And PETA. Yes, PETA. My parents and my healthy city surroundings gave me the healthy food tools I craved to succeed in eating well. And PETA enlightened me to the dark side of food. My first exposure to the horrors of our nation's factory food systems: a PETA pamphlet someone handed me - somewhere. I was only about fourteen or so. I read it and cried. I read it again and cried some more. Some call those pamphlets propaganda. I call them truth-tellers.

Every child will grow up and have a different food story. A food point of view (as Food Network's NFNS show likes to call it!) No one can judge or change or shun your food point of view. But as adults we must understand the profound effect we can have both positively and negatively on a child's food story. Lets tell a good story from here on out.

Lets tell a story of health, wellness, truth and creativity, with a hands-on/can-do attitude - all with a forever goal of health and happiness in mind.

What do you think??

Tu-Nut Sandwich Recipe...

Picnic in Central Park! Finally a cooler than usual sunny Saturday hit NYC and I burst out the door with my husband so we could hop on the subway and head uptown to Central Park for a well-deserved afternoon picnic.

Picnics are about the basket goodies! You agree, right? And while I normally pack my own vegan picnic basket sandwiches, this outing was an exception - I didn't lift a finger - thanks to Le Pain Quotidien...

Mineral Springs Le Pain Quotidien. When I heard that one of my favorite vegan-friendly chains, Le Pain Quotidien, was opening a location in Central Park - with "Picnic Baskets to-go" I knew I had to try it. Vegan muffins, soy lattes, iced mint green tea, crusty spelt bread - all my fave Le Pain eats under the green trees of the park? Yes please! Find out if my picnic in Central Park was easy breezy or not?? Many photos ahead!...

Le Pain's Mineral Springs Picnic Marketing...looks lovely to me!...

My Picnic Basket To-Go Review. I was super excited to order one of Le Pain's much-anticipated pimped-out $40 picnic baskets. However, things didn't work out exactly as I'd planned.

Side Note: In case you haven't heard, picnicking in the park has gone pretty high tech in the past year - various local restaurants are joining-in on the easy-picnic fun. You can even get a pizza delivered to your picnic blanket thanks to iPhone Apps like CityMint. But I digress..

When we arrived at Le Pain I noticed the Mineral Springs to-go menu was quite different than the normal Le Pain menu. It had sandwiches instead of tartines and a number of baguette sandwiches as well. I have tried Le Pain's hummus/veggie vegan baguette in the past and loved it - sadly, it was not on this menu. And there was actually not even one vegan sandwich or baguette options on the menu! A few vegetarian options - but all with cheese. Yikes. No picnic basket for us.

But this is Le Pain, so I can always find something...

I decided to go with the Mesclun Salad with basil pesto oil vinaigrette and a side bread flute - a crusty bread stick studded with hazelnuts and raisins. My husband, who is not vegan, ordered the smoked salmon sandwich. He loved it. My salad/flute was divine as well - although I would've loved a vegan sandwich option so we could've ordered the complete basket. Instead we did an a la carte basket-ish order with:

* Mesclun Salad (vegan)
* Flute (vegan)
* $10 picnic blanket (fleece forest green color - love it)
* Two large Soy Lattes to-go
* Green tea muffin to go (vegan)
* Mini chocolate brownie for MrHHL (not vegan)

I am in love with our Le Pain picnic blanket complete with Le Pain embroidered logo - they also sell canvas baseball caps and a Central Park paperback book, FYI.

Central Park - Mineral Springs Le Pain Quotidian:

OPENING HOURS
M-F: 7am-9pm
Sa-Su: 7am-9pm
ADDRESS
"Mineral Springs"
69th Street @ Central Park
New York, NY

After we ordered our goodies we were off to find the perfect spot to enjoy them!

We spotted a cool shaded grassy spot under a large tree. Many birds hopping around, and not many people nearby, quiet - our dream picnic spot. We fluffed up our soft blanket and had a delicious feast under the trees, blue sky, cool breeze great company.

...Picnic accomplished!

The Bottom Line on Le Pain. If you are seeking a picnic in Central Park, you could successfully bring your own basket of goodies. Or if you want an easy option (like we did) try le Pain! The $10 blanket is a great deal in my opinion. A soft blankie is a must for a successful picnic. And there are many food options at Le Pain so even a vegan like me will find something delicious.

For non-vegans the options abound. There is even a waffle window. So jealous.

Here are a few photos from our Central Park Picnic feast..

Tall Buildings Meet Tall Trees. Only in NYC!..

Lawn Hours...

Wanted: Peace. We found a spot a way from the sunbathing crowds...

Our Spot...

We shared our spot with a few cute birdies drinking water and bathing in a small water puddle nestled between the large tree roots. Am I in a Disney movie all the sudden? So cute!..

Our humble eats...

My Mesclun Salad. Yea, OK I could definitely make a better salad at home - but the basil pesto oil dressing is delicious - and buying a salad at the Park keeps things super easy and convenient. This was a special treat for today...

I love the Le Pain nut and raisin studded flutes..

The rich and silky Basil Pesto Dressing adds a burst of flavor to light fresh baby greens. This must be the same oil they add to the hummus appetizer that I love..

Happy Camper. Or should I say Happy Picnicker...

So much more to explore in the Park! One of the lakes in the Park. I am dying to rent a rowboat-for-two one of these days!...

Colorful rides await. I don't know how those guys do it!....

You can always find a gaggle of tourists near Strawberry Fields...

Love this statue...

I love the rocks in Central Park..

A pretty purple fleur lining one of the gated fences...

Lincoln Center on the walk home...

Food Cart Friday - A few weeks ago I finally found the Vegan Dosa Guy's Famous Vegan Food Cart. It was nestled under a grove of trees at Washington Square Park - a skip away from NYU, in NYC's Greenwich Village neighborhood.

Ever since I moved to New York City about four years ago, eating at "the famous vegan food cart" was one of the items on my Things to do in NYC list...

**UPDATED Aug 28, 2010: Don't miss my "Appetizers" photos added towards end of the post!**

That Smells Good! Any NYC native or tourist knows that walking around New York City leads you through a symphony of delicious food smells all wafting from the many corner-side food carts and street parked food trucks. Carts everywhere. Peanuts, falafel, ice cream, pretzels, tacos, coffee, cupcakes and more...

You eventually convince yourself to try at least one of them. And pretzel carts don't count! Lucky for me, being vegan cuts down on the number of carts I can try. But also lucky for me, one of the best food carts in the city just happens to be vegan. The NY Dosa Guy is famous in all foodie circles. You don't get "food cart fame" for nothing! But before I share my experience with you, here's an overview of NYC Food Carts/Trucks...

NYMag.com's photo of the NY Dosa Cart:

Food Carts and Trucks NYC. Believe me when I say I never considered myself a "food truck or food cart" kind of girl. And before moving to New York I considered "Street-side Food" to be pretty "low" - hovering right above gas station fast food.

Boy oh boy, things have changed!

Food carts and trucks are trendy, cool and fabulous! Foodie magnets. There's a huge number of very popular carts/trucks here in NYC. Most of them are not vegan, however.

Trucks like The Big Gay Ice Cream Truck, Calexico, Wafels and Dinges, Mud Coffee Truck, Van Leeuwen Artisan Ice Cream Truck, Cake and Shake and many many more. Some carts even have a twitter account that alerts customers as to where their mobile foodie hot spot will be anchored today. Calexico tweets locations and menu specials. Wafels and Dinges does this too. NYMag even has a handy dandy Top 25 guide to the best NYC food trucks.

But lets get back to the NYC Vegan Dosa Guy. Award-winning vegan eats, served street side - Washington Square park side.

What is a Dosa??? "a dosa is a fermented crepe made from rice and black lentils - South Indian cuisine." ..from Wikipedia.

My Adventure. It was an overcast afternoon - and I was walking home from grabbing a chai at Starbucks. I noticed a long line of people by a food cart on 4th street - just below Washington Square Park. I knew it was the vegan dosa guy. I got in line. About 8 people ahead of me.

There were lunch break guys in suits, ladies in heels palming their iPhones, a few camera-toting tourists and a few casual hungry foodies like me. Some folks ordered like pros and others had to do the awkward, but acceptable - "what's good here?" thing.

I had no idea what to order. I tried to wing it by repeating what I heard someone ahead of my mumble as he ordered: "I'd like the special". But Thiru spotted my newbie status right away and starting giving me the "you want the special? the lentil-rice crepe, wrapped curried...the one we are famous for!" He chatted cheerfully and I just nodded my head like an embarrassed foodie. Knowing fully well that there was a stacked line of ten plus people now all hoping I hurry up. At least I had my cash ready and my smile wide.

At least I wasn't the one guy I saw who was fondling a $100 bill and saying to his wife, "Do you think they will take this?" They did.

I also noticed a few folks who were just grabbing samosas and dipping sauces (no plates) - they waltzed right up to the side window and exchanged cash for eats, grab-n-go style.

Meet Thiru Kumer. Note that through all this there is just one guy on the tiny grill up front (the famous dosa guy of course). There was also one helper guy collecting money at the front of the line. Nice operation.

You know you're a hit when your food cart has a helper "money collector" guy.

The dosa guy, aka Thiru Kumar, is always chatty and smiling in a cool calm way. I imagine he is just as calm even with a line of 50 hungry tourists wrapping around the park. He is always talking to each customer, asking them what they want and how spicy they like it He has a well-deserved slate of awards and magazine clippings lining his cart walls. Yet the cart is quite small and humble. Nothing shiny or "pimped out" like some of the newer trendy food trucks in NYC. And Thiru loves mentioning that he is "famous for the special".

I had to order "the special".

Here's what comes with the $6 "special" plate...

A spicy small bowl of soup. A stuffed dosa crepe and a few sauces.

The lentil-rice vegan crepe is amazing! It is thin and flaky and pancake-like. It is stuffed with curried potatoes and assorted veggies like peppers, carrots and cauliflower. So light, flavorful and healthy. I asked for spicy - and it was!

The sauces were magical. Ginger and coconut flavors soared in the thicker chutney-style sauce - and the milky pink sauce was the perfect hydration-adder to the crisp light crepe.

The side soup was simple and warming. Nice touch. It had a red broth and large chunks of peppers and onion.

And note, I am painfully reaching for words to describe his authentic South India-style eats. At least I now know what a DOSA is.

So For $6 this was quite a feast!

I ordered mine to-go so I could photograph it at home. Obviously I wasn't thrilled about the Styrofoam packaging. But I noticed you can get your vegan eats served on a paper plate and eat it right away in Washington Square Park. Quite a nice idea an afternoon vegan foodie adventure if you ask me.

Yay, I checked off the "Vegan Dosa Guy" and "Eating from a Food Cart" on my NYC List - all in one swoop.

...on your next NYC visit, why not check it off your "things to do in nyc" list as well!!

UPDATED: Appetizers!
Today I tried the famous vegan 'appetizers' at the Dosa guy's cart. For $4.75 my husband and I sampled two giant potato-stuffed samosas, one vegan soy drumstick (on a sugarcane stick) and green/red dipping sauce. Totally delicious, but I'll let the pics speak for themselves:

More info:

NY Dosas
What: Food Cart (VEGAN FOOD)
Where: West 4th Street and Sullivan Street
Timings: Mon - Sat 11:00am to 4:00 pm
*subject to change at times*
PLEASE CALL (917) 710 2092

NY Dosas on Facebook! And I love that he has a FB page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/NY-Dosas/102646712631

Have you ever dined at the NY Dosa truck??? let me know! What did you get?!

I love this cool, creamy, zesty, beachy Key Lime Pie vegan dessert. The essential ingredient: sweet, tangy, bold key lime juice. A hint of coconut, a sandy graham crust and fresh lime zest on top.

Pie-Fait. I make a lot of these "Pie-fait" desserts. The base ingredients: silken tofu and vegan pudding mix. They are relatively healthy - rich in soy protein, lower in fat than the average "pie" - plus I can whip up a pie-fait in ten minutes and have it chilled for dessert in a few hours. Get this refreshing dessert recipe...
Key West Vacation - at home. I casually made and photographed this recipe about a month ago when the bold summer heat was just starting to creep into the hot NYC cityscape. I was craving a cool tropical breeze, a blue-water view, a soft sandy beach and the sound of waves crashing - as I lay melted into my pink beach chair...

However, that was all a fuzzy daydream. My reality: my stiff-backed black office chair and glaring wide computer screen - which makes me sometimes want to wear sunglasses at my desk. Beachy, yes. Glamourous, no. What's a girl to do? Make Key Lime Pie! And stir in a heaping dose of Key West vacation imagination...

Key Lime Juice. If you've never worked with key lime juice I suggest you try it! I never really knew the difference in flavor and even texture of key lime juice compared to traditional lime juice until making this pie for the first time.

I bought a bottle of Nellie and Joe's key lime juice and did a taste test...

Key lime juice is silky, almost milky. It is a rich opaque yellow/green color and has a round, soft tangy flavor - a bit less acidic and tart tasting than conventional lime juice.

Key limes in their whole form are tiny. About ⅓ to ½ the size of a traditional lime. I imagine this dessert would be just as fantastic if you use fresh-squeezed key limes - if you can find them!

Pie-Fait. This is a soft-serve pie. Spoon it out into dessert cups directly from the pie pan. If you want a thicker, firmer pie you will need to make a few ingredient adjustments. Like adding agar agar or even baking the pie in the oven. Personally, I love this pie-fait soft-serve style. So luscious, light and zingy!

Soft-Serve Style..

Other Pie-Fait-style recipes I have posted:

Lemon Custard Bars
Peaches and Banana Cream Pie-fait
Chocolate Cherry Dessert Pie-fait
Choco Pom Raspberry Pudding Parfait

Spots and Silk. You might notice the holes and lines on the surface of my Key Lime Pie. Those are from a light sprinkle of key lime juice I did over top the poured pie - as well as a stream of maple syrup I drizzled over-top. It roughs up the surface - but the texture when you eat this pie is still super soft and silky! And yes, some natural "crimping" will also occur due to the tart limes mixing with the creamy soy.

Ingredient Note: can't find key lime juice? That's OK - sub conventional lime juice.

Coconut Key Lime Pie
no bake, vegan, makes one pie plus an extra cup

1 package silken tofu
1 box vanilla vegan pudding
*DrOetker's is my fave
½ cup key lime juice
1 small conventional lime, juiced and zested
zest from lime above
¼ cup sugar
1 graham cracker crust
¾ teaspoon salt
¼ cup light coconut milk (or more soy milk)
¼ cup soy milk

drizzle: agave or maple syrup - a few drops of lime juice
garnish: raw coconut shreds and/or key lime zest
optional: ¼ cup coconut shreds added to base mixture

Juice Note: *You'll notice I added in one conventional lime - I did this basically for the lime zest - and to not waste the juice - I simply added it to the recipe as well. So total lime juice is ½ cup key lime plus the juice of 1 conventional lime.

Directions:

1. Add drained silken tofu, pudding mix, salt, sugar, all lime juice, a pinch of lime zest (reserve some for garnish) coconut and or soy milk to a soup pot on the stove top. Add in optional coconut flakes as well. Turn heat to high. Start stirring constantly with a wooden spoon.

2. Continue stirring until the mixture begins to smooth out a bit - once the mixture begins to bubble, wait for about 90 seconds then turn the heat off.

3. When mixture has cooled a bit - add it to a glass blender or food processor. Blend until smooth and lump-free. Be very careful when blending warm liquids.

4. Transfer your mixture to a pre-made graham pie crust (or crushed graham crackers in a pie dish). You can even use vanilla cookies as a pie crust base if you'd like.

5. Pour any extra mixture into parfait glasses as an extra dessert treat. Top desserts with fresh lime zest and optional coconut flakes. I add a ribbon drizzle of agave or maple syrup and a spritz of pure key lime juice over the surface of the poured pie as well.

6. Place desserts in fridge - covered - to chill for at least 2 hours before serving. Overnight is best.

Serve!

Tropical Key West breeze not included...

And FYI, Sorry if the photos are a bit rough - I took them pre-my new-camera!

My recipe for Almond Coconut Quinoa Risotto with a thick spicy-sweet Saffron Mushroom Gravy will turn your weekday dinnertime into a gourmet culinary adventure. Polish up the silverware for this fine vegan feast...

Romantic Comfort Food. This recipe is cozy comfort food with a classy romantic spin. Almonds, coconut milk, scallions, a hint of garlic, cayenne, maple, plentiful mushrooms and blooming saffron accent this swoon-worthy quinoa risotto entree dish. Nutritional yeast adds a boost of nutrients as well as a nutty bold flavor. Gourmet, hearty, vegan and healthy. If you are dying to experiment more with protein-rich quinoa - here's your chance. Get my recipe...

Saffron Mushroom Gravy:

Quinoa. I love "Keen-wa" - it is healthy, delicious and incredibly versatile. Check out my quinoa 101 for quinoa nutrition facts. Tired of rice? Try quinoa in almost any rice-centered recipe. You can even make quinoa bowls in place of your morning oatmeal. Add berries, maple and almond milk. But my favorite is quinoa risotto.

Rinsed Quinoa:

Fluffy Quinoa. There are entire message boards on Chow.com devoted to "How do I Make my Quinoa Fluffy?" Simple answer: Keep it simple and use less liquid than you think. The 1 cup quinoa : 2 cups water should really be about only 1 ½ cups water - if you want fluffy quinoa. Also, rinsing your quinoa in cold water can fight sog and help fluffiness.

...But for THIS recipe we don't want a fluffy quinoa - but a creamy, hearty quinoa - that resembles a risotto.

Mushrooms:

Ingredient accents - scallions, almonds, coconut milk:

Coco-Almond Quinoa Risotto
with Spicy Saffron Mushroom Coconut Gravy
vegan, makes 8-9 cups (lots of leftovers - half recipe to serve just a few)

Risotto:
4 ounces coconut milk
8 ounces almonds, sliced
2 cups scallions, sliced (1 bunch)
16 ounces quinoa, dry (about 2 ½ cups) - rinsed
5 ½ cups water
1-2 tablespoon garlic powder
2 tablespoon maple syrup
1 cup sliced white mushrooms
¼ cup nutritional yeast
2 teaspoon herbed sea salt

Gravy:
8 ounces coconut milk
2 tablespoon maple syrup
2-3 tablespoon nutritional yeast, pinch salt
½ teaspoon cayenne
1 ½ cups sliced white mushrooms
a spoonful of cooked quinoa risotto
½ teaspoon saffron (optional)
add a splash of water if you'd like a thinner gravy

Directions:

1. Pour your quinoa into a large bowl - rinse well with cold water. Drain water carefully. Repeat if desired.

2. Using a large pot - bring your water and a pinch of salt to a strong boil. Add the rinsed quinoa. Cover with a small vent and allow to boil for 10-12 minutes on med-high heat.

Boiling Quinoa in water for 10-12 minutes:

3. While the quinoa is boiling, chop your scallions and mushrooms, and set aside you coconut milk, almonds - and other ingredients.

Chopped Scallions:

4. When the ten minutes is up, remove the lid completely from the large quinoa pot. Not all the liquid will be absorbed. Add in: all your almond, scallions and a splash of coconut milk. Also grind in some fresh pepper.

Adding the almonds and scallions after 10 minutes:

5. Stir with a wooden spoon and turn the heat down a bit. The ingredients will begin to absorb more of the liquid and a thick risotto will begin to form.

6. Next add in the nutritional yeast, maple syrup (just a splash), garlic powder and risotto mushrooms. Continue folding the quinoa until a moist thick consistency forms. Like a very thick oatmeal. Turn heat off and begin spooning the quinoa out of the pot and into a serving/storage bowl. You can also begin plating your quinoa.

7. In the same pot, you will make the gravy. It's OK if some of the quinoa ( a few spoonfuls) remains in the pot. This will help to thicken your gravy.

8. For gravy: add all the gravy ingredients and stir on medium until sauce thickens. Allow saffron to bloom. Remove from heat and spoon gravy over top plated quinoa - or transfer to a gravy serving bowl.

Coconut Mushroom Saffron Gravy:

9. Plate your risotto..

Plate quinoa first:

10. Then add the gravy. Garnish with fresh pepper and plenty of mushrooms from the gravy. Serve warm - or store in fridge.

Gravy-dressed Quinoa Risotto:

Farm fresh, local, organic yellow cherry tomatoes are the veggie star of my "Triple B" Cherry Tomato Salad. Beans, basil and balsamic vinegar accent and enhance the summertime flavors. Fast, fresh recipe - ready in 5 minutes. Get my recipe...

Yellow Cherry Tomatoes. You can use and variety of tomato you'd like for this salad - but I recommend cherry tomatoes. My favorite for this salad: yellow cherry tomatoes.

Yellow Cherry Tomatoes are easily quartered and a bit less juicy - more meaty than a red cherry tomato. The flavor is zesty, sweet and bright all in one bite. The yellow tomatoes I bought were local, organic and super fresh - and they tasted like it! They are delicious enough to eat straight from the tomato basket - so you can only imagine the complex flavor bliss when they mix and mingle with EVOO, balsamic, pepper, basil and a splash of maple syrup.

Triple B Salad. This fresh cherry tomato salad is accented by three "B's" - basil, beans and balsamic vinegar. You may use any variety of beans you'd like. I had just purchased some roasted chickpeas at Nutbox NYC - so I decided to test them out in this salad. Obviously using a fresh-soaked or canned bean will make for a moister salad than mine. But I did enjoy the crunchy beans in my salad as a new taste and texture.

Yellow Cherry Tomatoes:

Fresh Basil Plant:

"Triple B" Cherry Tomato Salad

2 cups cherry tomatoes, quartered
1 ½ cups chickpeas, roasted or canned
*You can use any variety of beans you'd like
¼ cup fresh basil, chiffonade
¼ cup balsamic vinegar
fresh black pepper
splash of EVOO (1-2 Tbsp)
½ cup red onion, diced
1 teaspoon maple syrup
optional: splash of apple cider vinegar

Directions:

1. Prep your veggies: dice your onion. Wash and quarter slice your cherry tomatoes. Chiffonade your basil. Place in large bowl.

2. Add all ingredients to large bowl and toss well.

3. Allow to marinate 5-10 minutes before serving.

4. Garnish with fresh basil leaves and more black pepper.

Serve!...

I am excited to announce that this week I launched my brand new website, FindingVegan.com.

The Vision: We all love browsing food photos, recipes, products and blogs. Wouldn't it be awesome if there was an easy-to-browse website where every 'find' was vegan? Now there is..

Finding Vegan: All things vegan. Found.

What is it? Finding Vegan is a user-submitted, photo-based site where you are invited to share cool, yummy, fun, inspiring "vegan finds" - that includes recipes, books, products and more!

So far, the feedback on FV has been extraordinary! Check out some of the yummy already-posted submissions in the photo above. (Get these recipe links later in this post).

Find out more and how you can get involved!...

A Very Wide Vegan World. As you may recall, I recently posted my list of Best Vegan Blogs. Well with 330+ listed and growing - it can be tricky to keep up with all the inspiring vegan finds online. FV is there to help you stay in the know of all the latest and greatest vegan recipes, products, news and more.

Spread The Word! I hope you will pass on the news about Finding Vegan to your vegan-curious contacts. And yes, the goal of FV is to allow everyone to explore vegan finds and satisfy their curiosity.

Share and find on Finding Vegan.

Finding vegan Wants YOU! Are you a blogger, owner, brand manager or everyday creative anyone who wants to get involved? Here's how you can participate and how FV can benefit your website, product, restaurant, book, business or brand...

Submitters: how FindingVegan.com can benefit you:

* Drive traffic to your blog, website or social network.
* Promote your product, book, service or business.
* Discover something new!

What Can You Submit?
Recipes - Food - Drinks - Fashion - Books - Travel - Events - Products - People/Interviews - Resources - Dining - Science - Animals - Health/Wellness News - Celebs - Tips - and more.

Submitting is Easy. No need to register. Submission guidelines and FAQ's here.

You'll even be able to track your submissions using the website tag FV provides you. Start submitting today and share your finds and links with the FV viewers!

The Basics. When you find an image and description that appeals to you, all you do is click on it and it will link you to the website with more info on the image. Maybe a recipe, a book review, new vegan product, a how-to guide, a thoughtful article, pop culture quip and more!

You can also browse by TAG's like #recipe #dessert #drink #raw #glutenfree #product and more. You can ever browse by user.

Plus FV is ever-evolving - with many site improvements and updates in the works.

Launch Thank You! There's always a mix of emotions when launching a new project, especially since so much time and passion has gone into Finding Vegan. But everyday my submissions inbox has been full of even more beautiful, inspiring and artistic submissions than the day before - and that makes me very excited about the Finding Vegan future. Thank you to all who have submitted so far!

HHL... And don't worry I'll still be just as active posting my own recipes here on Healthy Happy Life. This is simply an extension of what I love to do: share vegan happiness, health and recipes online!

Anyone Can Find Vegan. With so many vegan, vegetarian and non-vegan folks experiencing a curiosity about "all things vegan" I'm proud to have a space where anyone can explore, share and find...vegan!

http://www.findingvegan.com/
Follow on Twitter: @FindingVegan
Facebook Fan Page for Finding Vegan

Get the Vegan Recipes for the user-submitted photos in title image above:
*from upper left, to right*
* Spaghetti Bologenese by VeggieNumNum
* Pepper Rice by IndianSimmer
* Pea/Avocado Penne by VeggieNumNum
* Orange/Grapefruit Marmalade by FeastingonArt
* Champagne Lime/Mango Sorbet by YoungDCLiving
* Cucumber Wasabi Gazpacho by KitchenBloodyKitchen
* Raspberry Mango Ice Cream by InstantEnergyRecipes
* Coconut Sugar Lemonade by SweetonVeg
* Blackberry Brownies by ManifestVegan
* 4-Grain Salad by HappyLittleVegans
* Coconut Curried Summer Squash Soup by NaturallyElla
* Vanilla Agave Cupcakes by HappyLittleVegans

My Sunny Spicy Raw Veggie Wrap (or cheesy Quesadilla) will leave you feeling just-ate-my-veggies good! But this is moody food...

What's your mood? Naughty or nice? I have two easy, healthy vegan recipes to offer you - inspired by my base inspiration: Spicy Seeded Carrot and Zucchini Slaw.

Feeling Nice: A raw spicy wrap filled with savory spicy hummus, crunchy maple/cider-marinated veggies and perky pumpkin seeds.

Feeling Naughty: My spicy slaw is slathered between two XL tortillas and smothered with Daiya cheese for a satisfying grilled quesadilla. Salsa-Guac Verde on the side.

Choose one or try both. The recipes...

Veggie Quesadillas:

Raw Veggie Wraps:

Make More Slaw Than You Need. You'll want to make more than enough veggie slaw for your wraps or quesadilla - because it is a delicious side dish eaten alone. The tender zucchini strips paired with the crunchy sweet carrots, splash of apple cider vinegar, silky EVOO, sweet maple syrup and dash of sea salt and spicy pumpkin seeds. I found myself taking bites of the slaw even before I used it in my recipes. Spicy, sweet, refreshing, delicious! And healthy..

Good Salt. I can't stress enough the importance of investing in a few good gourmet salts for your kitchen pantry. Go with something coarse and naturally flavored with herbs/spices. A gourmet store should have what you need. Gray, pink and black salts are very popular and even trendy right now. I used this citrus salt in this recipe and it intensified all the natural veggie flavors in my wrap. A little pinch of a quality salt goes a long way.

Spiced Seed Zucchini/Carrot Slaw Salad
2 tablespoon roasted pumpkin seeds, spicy flavor - or add a dash of cayenne powder to plain seeds
1 ½ cups carrots, shredded or julienned
1 ½ cups zucchini, shredded or julienned
2 tablespoon EVOO
2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
2 teaspoon maple syrup
½ teaspoon citrus salt, herbed/coarse
black pepper
optional: fold in some extra cayenne or harissa for extreme spiciness!

Toss ingredients to prep your slaw for the recipes below...

Sunny Spicy Veggie Wrap
vegan, makes 2 wraps

2 extra large wraps/tortillas
2 cups carrot/zucchini slaw salad
4 tablespoon spicy hummus or bean puree
sunflower sprouts, optional
garnish: pumpkin seeds

Directions:

1. Prep all your veggies: carrots, zucchini.

2. Place all your slaw ingredients in a bowl and toss well.

3. Spread your hummus over the tortilla wraps.

4. Add a nice portion of the slaw - add some sunflower sprouts too if you have them.

5. Grind some fresh pepper over top and a few extra pumpkin seeds. Roll up the wraps and slice. Serve...

Now if you're craving something cheesy?....

Sunny Cheesy Quesadilla
vegan, makes 6 large triangles

2 extra large wraps/tortillas
1 cup carrot/zucchini slaw salad
¼ cup Daiya Cheese
garnish: pumpkin seeds

Side of Verde Salsa-Guac

Directions:

1. Place your first tortilla on your grill or panini press.

2. Thinly spread about a cup of slaw on the tortilla.

3. Add your cheese over that. Rub a light layer of the excess slaw juices over top the outside of the tortilla.

4. Place top tortilla on and grill until cheese melts and veggies are tender.

5. Slice into triangles, sprinkle with pumpkin seeds and serve with verde salsa-guac. Serve!

More Photos...

Yesterday I had a little fun with my favorite hydration beverage, Coconut Water!...

My husband and I completed the first ever HHL Coconut Water Review with a two-person blind taste testing. A coconut water pageant of sorts. Nine contestants with only one winner. Who will be crowned Top Coconut? The results are in...

8/2012 UPDATE! I have to say that lately for some reason I have fallen IN LOVE with Nirvana coconut water - but the trick is to buy the version in the tall glass bottle. Not the can! Crazy since I hated it when I did this blind taste test .. maybe they changed their sourcing? Who knows. Love it now. Just wanted to update since many of you still read this archive post!

All in Good Fun. OK, OK, so yes my husband and I took this blind taste test very seriously, but I want to remind you that this review represents just the opinions of two people. I like to consider myself a coconut water tasting expert - but really, everyone's tastes are different. So check out the results, but remember to try your own coconut water tasting session and discover what coconut water is your favorite.

The Brands. I selected 8 brands from the store as well as one live whole coconut. You'll see all the top brands in my line-up except for one: Naked. I couldn't find any Naked coconut water so I had to leave it out.

Sidenote, I have tried Naked before and liked it. So don't count it out.

The coconut water brands I did include: ONE, ONE Splash, ZICO plastic bottle, ZICO TetraPak, Amy and Brian, Vita CoCo, Taste Nirvana and Exotic Superfoods. And the whole fresh young coconut I bought at the store and hacked open myself.

The Method. For the taste test I made sure each package was fresh and chilled. I set up 9 uniform opaque tasting cups and labeled them on the bottom. I wrote down which brand was in each cup. Then my husband and I rearranged the cups and not knowing which brand was in what cup - we labeled the cups from 1 to 9 and began sipping and noting.

Also note we did this first thing in the morning so we were thirsty and our palates were clean.

Scoring. I wrote down my tasting notes after tasting each coconut water. My husband shouted out his notes and I interpreted his comments and facial expressions. He approved all notated comments.

Once we had tasted all the brands - we went back and re-tasted each cup and lined them up from best to worst - based on taste. This line-up represented the end 1-9 Taste Rankings that you will see below.

Lastly, aside from the taste rankings, I felt it was important to discuss other factors you should consider when buying coconut water. Factors like price, availabilty and ease of use.

What Surprised Me. I was shocked by how different the coconut water tasted when I had no idea what brand it was! I thought I would be able to easily distinguish the brands - not so! In most cases I had no idea what brand I was reviewing and sipping as the tasting progressed. But I did know what I liked and what I didn't like..

Coconut Water Taste Test - The Raw Tasting Notes:

K=Kathy(MrsHHL) G=MrHHL

COCO 1
K: Lemony, bright, slightly flat aftertaste.
G: bland. Starts sweet, ends sour.
COCO 2
K: Love the obvious essence flavor. Light, refreshing, clean.
G: Not liking the flavor. I like it pure. Clean though.
COCO 3
K: Oddly milky. Hits the back of my throat. Round, but flat.
G: Flat. Tastes like the bottle was opened. (it wasn't)
COCO 4
K: Way too sweet/bold. Aftertaste like coconut shreds I'd find in a coconut dessert.
G: Strong coconut aftertaste. Too sweet-tastingfor me. Complex.
COCO 5
K: Round, soft flavor. Pleasing. Very drinkable.
G: Not distinguishable. Actually, I like it a lot.
COCO 6
K: Zesty clean, bright flavor. Pure and drinkable. Refreshing!
G: Nice and clean. Like it a lot.
COCO 7
K: Obviously sweet. I like the flavor though. Tropical-tasting.
G: Way too sweet for me - not into the flavors.
COCO 8
K: OMG. So good. Creamy, round, clean, fresh tasting. Could chug gallons of this. Smooth finish.
G: Natural taste. Pure. Oh, it's the best. No phony smell.
COCO 9
K: Super smooth and round flavor. Pure and subtle with a super bright finish.
G: Really like. This is good. Tastes pure.

The Comments Key:

COCO 1 = Vita CoCo, plain Coconut Water
COCO 2 = Orange Peel Essenced ZICO, in Tetra Pak Coconut Water
COCO 3 = ZICO plain, in plastic bottle Coconut Water
COCO 4 = Taste Nirvana, pulp free Coconut Water
COCO 5 = Amy and Brian's, pulp free Coconut Water
COCO 6 = ONE, One Natural Experience Coconut Water
COCO 7 = ONE Guava Splashed Coconut Water
COCO 8 = Real Coconut - Straight from the Whole Coconut, Coconut Water
COCO 9 = Exotic Superfoods Raw Frozen Coconut Water

The Taste Rankings (Taste Test Factors Only):

1. TOP COCONUT: Real Coconut - Fresh Young Coconut Coconut Water
2. Exotic Superfoods Raw Frozen
3. ONE plain coconut water
Tie 4. ZICO Tetra Pak Orange Peel Essenced
Tie 4. Amy and Brian's pulp free
6. Vita CoCo plain
7. ONE Guava Splashed
8. ZICO plain, plastic bottle, from concentrate
9. Taste Nirvana

The Lesson. Overall the HHL Coconut Water Review was a fun experience and a good wake up call in confirming that not all coconut water brands are created equal.

Other Factors. I want to discuss a few other factors to consider when buying coconut water:

1) Price - One small container on coconut water can cost anywhere from $1 - $3+ (depending on where and how you buy it). The key is to buy in bulk when you spot a sale on your favorite brand. I'll admit that the two highest ranking coconut water options are also the most expensive. So if you are looking for a budget price - you may have to compromise taste a tiny bit.

2) Availability. Just as the top two brands are costly - they are also hard to find. You probably want to buy coconut water on your routine shopping trip - and your store may only have one or two brands.

3) Ease of Use. Opening a fresh young coconut is a pain! It can ruin your knife and drive you a little nuts. Plus, a real coconut is heavy and tricky to store. Tetra Paks and even the re-seal able varieties are obviously the easiest varieties to use/drink.

4) Variety. There are a number of factors that distinguish coconut water varieties:
* pulp vs pulp free
* plain vs flavored
* frozen vs fresh
* 100% pure vs from concentrate
* 1 liter size vs 11 ounce size
* store-bought vs online buying

...try a wide variety of options and soon you'll discover what you like best.

In Closing. The winner: the coconut water that came straight from the coconut. Was it really a fair fight?

However, I know a few people who don't like the intense flavor or straight-from-the-coconut water. So preferences do vary.

I was happy with the results - it appears I am buying the brands that I enjoy the most - marketing and packaging aside. It's amazing how a blind-taste distorts all your preexisting perceptions about what you are drinking.

But I Can't Find Those! It's true, the top two ranked coconut waters are pretty hard to find in most stores - so for mainstream shopping, and ease of budget and drinking my top three recommendations are:

ONE
ZICO in the Tetra Pak (not the plastic bottle)
Amy and Brian's pulp free

For budget and taste conscious shoppers, I think finding ONE at Trader Joe's for only $3 a liter is your best bet.

Happy Coconut Water Drinking!!

...what would your taste test uncover??? Weigh in on this in the comments!

The Coconut Water Contestants (plus the live coconut above)...

Links:
ONE
ZICO
VitaCoCo
Amy and Brian
Taste Nirvana
Exotic Superfoods

Some days all I have time to do is sip, slurp, crunch and munch. Hand to mouth, eyes on the computer screen. Not so glamorous, I know. Super busy workdays leave me with no time for a thoughtful midday meal. So how do I get through the day fully fueled and energized? Smart Snacking!

Smart Desk-Side Snacks. It's easy to snack. But not so easy to snack smart. I've been compiling a list of all the desk-side snacks I've been munching on and sipping the past few weeks and now I'm sharing my snacking successes with you. Put down the potato chips and step away from the vending machine. Start getting creative with your busy-day snacking. Here are my ideas to inspire you. My desk-side snacks list...

You can always grab some fruit as a smart desk-side snack...

But for something more substantial, try these ideas...

Smart Desk-Side Snacks for your busy day...

all vegan ideas...

1. Peppered Edamame with Sesame Rice Cracker Scoops
Heat up some frozen edamame in the microwave and pop it into a to-go container. Bring along some rice crackers. Desk-side, grab this snack when you need a super boost of protein, fiber - and crunch appeal. I add plentiful black pepper to my edamame and a dash of soy sauce or sea salt. Try some cayenne-dashed carrot juice on the side. This recipe is also great for kids - see a kid-friendly edamame snack here. If you'd prefer, sub edamame with healthy peas.

Spoon = Rice Cracker...

2. Grown Up Logs
Classic kid snack: ants on a log. Grown-up modifications are easy and delicious. Grab the classic base: celery sticks and slather them in nut butter (peanut or almond). If you prefer, switch up the raisins for cranberries, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, hemp seeds, flax seeds, spicy cayenne, black pepper, harissa, a few dried cherries or even dried blueberries. For a sweet treat, drizzle maple syrup over top as you crunch. Another idea: substitute nut butter with bean dip like hummus.

3. Raw Almond Dip and Veggie Sticks
This is my favorite desk-side snack. Here's how you do it: Plan ahead for your snacking week and make a big batch of raw almond spread. Store it in the fridge and bring a portion to work each day - along with some fresh veggie sticks and maybe a few easy pita triangles or healthy crackers. This dip is packed with raw nuts, fiber and protein - this snack will get you through a busy, hungry day. Try these three raw almond dip recipes.

4. Sip an Energizing Smoothie
Too busy to chew? That's OK. Venture out to get a smoothie - or beg your office to get a in-break-room blender. If you work from home - you're set. Add fresh/frozen fruit, nut butters, seeds, seed oil, raw nuts and a variety of liquid bases to your smoothies. Get some healthy vegan smoothie recipes here. Or snag my Smoothies iPhone App for on-the-go smoothie success.

5. Three Ingredient Pita
We all love elaborate sandwiches, wraps and pitas. But sometimes a simple stuffed pita will satisfy your needs. My perfect easy pita: 1) Whole wheat or soy pita half. 2) Garlic or spicy hummus 3) Raw baby spinach - lots of it. Stuff it in and chomp desk side. You can even bring the ingredients separately to work and assemble as you eat. Not so glamorous I know - but it is delicious and healthy! Leafy green antioxidants from the spinach and fiber and protein from the pita and hummus. Sip a mint/lemon iced tea or a fizzy mint mineral water to add a touch of sophistication.
...Bored by spinach? Try any of these ten healthy leafy greens here.

6. Bowl o' Nuts & Berries
An easy desk side snack I love mid-morning - nuts and berries. I'll fill a big bowl with raw cashews, roasted almonds, raw pumpkin seeds and Brazil nuts. One of my faves: walnuts. Then I will mix in a cup of fresh blueberries or blackberries. The nut/berry combo is delicious, hydrating, antioxidant-filled and full of fiber. Snack smart and feel good in the morning. Sure beats a pop-tart. A bowl of nuts along side a fruit smoothie is another combo I love.

7. Easy Mini Fiesta Bowl
Fill a to-go container with some salsa, hearty/healthy low-fat bean dip or smashed black beans, sliced lime-soaked avocados and some chopped cilantro or jalapeno. Close it up and tote along a bag of whole grain tortilla chips and veggie sticks. I like carrots and jicama with this spread. Go easy on the chips though - just a few will get you dipping - this snack is really all about the beans, spicy salsa and avocados. A few whole wheat tortillas could sub for chips. Desk side mini fiesta for you.

8. Loaded Chai
This is so easy it's excuse-proof. Make a chai latte - only fill the mug ¾ of the way full. Add chai mix, soy milk, a dash of cinnamon and cayenne. Now the fun part: before heating, add in a scoop of raw or roasted cashews (or any nut) and a few dried goji berries. Heat and sip desk side. When you finish your chai drink you will have a nice serving of soaked nuts at the bottom of your mug. Eat them - they are delicious! Plus soaking nuts eases digestion for some. This idea may sound strange - but give it a try! You can soak nuts in your tea, chai and even your coffee/espresso latte. Goji Berry Chai.

9. Muffins can be quite filling...
This idea isn't creative or new - but it works! If you've ever seen that Seinfeld episode you know what I mean by... "...but a muffin can be quite filling!" my advice - seek out a high quality/healthy store-bought muffin (Like Green Tea Ginger from Le Pain) - or better yet, make a whole batch of healthy muffins Sunday night - freeze them in little baggies and grab 'n go throughout the week. Muffin recipes here. I love this muffin recipe.

10. Super Food Yogurt Parfait
Stack a to-go container with soy yogurt, nuts (cashews, peanuts, almonds, walnuts, pistachios, pecans, macadamia), seeds (hemp, flax, sesame, pumpkin), fresh fruit, dried fruit, muesli, granola, maple syrup, berry sauce, more nuts/seeds/fruit, more yogurt - and go. Pull your parfait from the fridge when you need a boost. Try a dessert-tasting soy parfait with silken tofu vanilla or banana pudding. See my peach/banana pie-fait recipe here.

11. The Minimalist: Avocado and Crackers
I love this easy idea. Before you head out for your day, simply grab a ripe or extra-ripe avocado and a baggie of crackers (your fave kind - the thicker/grainier the better). When you need a snack, slice open the avocado and scoop out the flesh with your crackers. It sounds simple - but it is delicious.

Forget it, I'm grabbing some chips...

What, what did you say?? Before you grab the bag of potato chips consider these chip-like snacks: Calbea Snap Pea crisps - Soy Crisps - raw Cheesy Quackers - Two Moms in the Raw Crackers - Kale Chips - Veggie Booty - nutritional yeast "cheese" popcorn - air-popped popcorn with pink sea salt. And if you must go for potato chips - maybe try the sweet potato chips -- and always read those snack food labels!

Happy Snacking you Busy Bee. 🙂

...what is your favorite desk-side snack??

One Lucky Duck Cheesy Quackers:


Crunch Appeal - Veg n Dip...

Sophisticated mood? Try Dr Cow Cheese, Crackers n Figs...

More Edamame Inspiration...

Thick, luscious, homemade Raspberry Sauce is a welcome topping poured over top any dessert sundae, banana split or parfait - or perhaps even drizzled over a stack of steaming pancakes or a freshly baked biscuit. Raspberry-filled vegan "jelly" doughnuts anyone? Get creative - and treat yourself with my easy to make no-sugar-added recipe for Spiced Citrus Raspberry Sauce and you won't even need a cherry on top...

Vegan Ice Cream Sundae. This banana split includes a sliced organic banana, three small scoops of Coconut Bliss Vanilla Island coconut-milk-based frozen dessert, aka vegan ice cream, a nice pour of my fresh raspberry sauce and some soy cream on top. So. Darn. Good.

Spicy Sauce. I added cayenne to this recipe to give the sauce a subtle heated kick. The spicy-sweet raspberry sauce over cool, cold coconut cream is blissful.

Raspberry Sauce Uses:

*Dessert Sundaes, Banana Splits
*Yogurt Parfait
*Filling for cake or cupcakes
*"Jelly"-filled vegan doughnuts
*Raspberry stuffed french toast
*Raspberry sauce swirled muffins or bread
*Dollop on top of oatmeal, rice pudding or cream of wheat
*Dollop over pancakes or on freshly baked biscuits
*Eat it by the spoonful 🙂

Modifications:
*Try blackberries instead of raspberries
*Add in a trio of berries

And yippee, this recipe is easy. Main ingredient: fresh berries.

Fresh Spiced Citrus Raspberry Sauce
makes 1 ½ cups

1 container fresh raspberries (about 1 ½ cups)
1 ½ cups pure orange juice (not from concentrate)
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon cayenne
pinch or salt (optional)

Directions:

1. Pour the OJ and the raspberries into a sauce pan over high heat.

2. Using a wooden spoon, stir the mixture casually until it starts to boil. When it boils, turn the heat down a touch and continue allowing the mixture to simmer uncovered for 15-20 minutes. Stir every so often so the berries don't stick to the pan.

3. When the mixture is about the consistency of a thin oatmeal, turn off the heat and pour sauce into a separate container to cool. The sauce will thicken significantly as it cools.

4. Serve warm over cold ice cream - or store in fridge until ready to be used.

My favorite saying: "Dream Big!" So when I saw one of my favorite ad networks Infolinks.com running a Dream On contest for their lucky publishers - I knew I had to enter. But I never though I would win. And my fulfilled dream means even better photos for HHL!...

Sign up for Infolinks Here. Because obviously, they care about the happiness and success of their publishers. More on how they make their publishers super happy below. But first, my dream - and what it means for HHL...

Dream On. Dream a dream - and make it big. That's what Infolinks asked their publishers a few months back. Yea, OK. I can do that! My big dream...

As you guys know, food photography is my passion. My dream: a new camera body - for brighter, bolder photos that would help me inspire more people to live healthy, happy lives. Inspiring people makes me very happy.

So a big thank you to Infolinks for making my dream a reality with my new Canon EOS 7D camera body. Kinda speechless about this camera. It is a-m-a-z-i-n-g.

Let me show you a few new and improved yummy food photos. All thanks to the happiness-inducing awesomeness of Infolinks. I'm still getting used to the features, but here are my first shots of summer produce, Washington Square Park in NYC Dr Cow cheese and more...

Plums:

Banana Split with fresh raspberry sauce:

Fig, Dr.Cow Cheese, Tomato Spread:

Tomatoes:

Washington Square Park, NYC:

Kitty:

...I love this camera. Lots of features to master still. I can't wait to use the HD video feature too! How-to cooking videos in the future...

Fellow Bloggers, consider Infolinks.. No one likes to talk about money - but the "starving artist" thing gets old fast. So if you're like me and blogging/writing/photography is your passion - eventually you'll start researching different advertising outlets. And for a full time blogger and entrepreneur like myself - Infolinks in-text ad links are a vital part of my complete ad plan. Infolinks keeps me doing what I love: creating recipes, taking photos and crafting delicious inspiring blogposts to keep my readers happy and healthy.

All About Infolinks. Curious to know even more? Here you go..

If you have a blog or website you may want to check out Infolinks as an alternative to traditional banner and/or boxed text ads. I immediately loved how easy Infolinks was to install and how I was able to customize how many text links show up per page. You can even start slow with one link per page and build more links as you see fit. I was even able to customize the link/ad colors so the ad links blend gracefully into my site. The best part is that users have the choice to click on the links or not - based on if they want more info about a highlighted term.

Learn more about becoming an Infolinks.com publisher:

www.Infolinks.com
Twitter: @InfolinksInc
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/infolinks
Contest details on Infolinks blog.

Dive into my Balsamic-Grilled Portobello Mushroom Salad with Simple Lemon Dressing. Light, zesty lemon flavors mingle with a robust sweet balsamic-grilled savory mushroom. Quite the perfect pairing...

This is my signature salad recipe that I can make for just about anyone to enjoy. Salad-lovers and veggie-haters alike. This meaty grilled marinated mushroom will win anyone over. This is an easy 15 minute recipe too. Get it...

Sweet/Savory Salad Flavors. A crisp chopped romaine salad is lightly dressed in a spritz of lemon juice and EVOO - plenty of fresh black pepper.

On top of that is the sliced balsamic-grilled portobello mushroom - more thick black pepper crusted on top. The salad is accented with lemon wedges, cubed tomatoes and grilled bread. I like to serve it with roasted garlic hummus. My bevie of choice: peach/mint iced tea. Cravable? Yes!

Portobellos. Classic or cliche, the portobello mushroom is a classic ingredient for a vegetarian or vegan dish. Long before veggie burgers glammed themselves up into using lentils, beans, rice, potatoes, veggies and more - the grilled portobello was the perfect meat-free substitute for your burger bun. So this salad is a tribute to the timelessly delicious veg-friendly ingredient: portobello mushrooms.

How to Grill? I grilled the mushroom on my panini press. I didn't even turn on my stove. Nice. You can grill the mushroom on a panini press, stove top grill pan or even an outside BBQ grill. If you have to use a flat saute pan, that's fine too - but you will miss those lovely grill marks.

To Peel or Not to Peel? Earlier today I asked my twitter buddies if they like to peel their shrooms. I struck a nerve because most everyone gasped in disbelief as if I had just ripped the muffin top off a muffin. Well give my peeled mushroom method a try - I like it because the mushroom soaks up more flavorful marinade than if I had left the peel on.

Accents...

Fresh Crisp Romain Heart:

Served with Grilled Bread:

Pepper-Crusted Balsamic Portobellos:

The recipe...

Grilled Portobello Mushroom Salad. Lemon Dressing.
serves 1, vegan

1 medium tomato, cubed
1 heart of romaine lettuce, sliced
½ lemon, sliced into wedges
1 large portobello mushroom, peeled, de-stemmed

Mushroom Marinade:
2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon EVOO
1 teaspoon agave or maple syrup
pinch of pepper

Zesty Easy Dressing:
1 or ½ lemon, squeezed over greens
drizzle of EVOO
fresh black pepper
optional: capers

Side:
Grilled bread and/or garlic hummus

as needed: coarse sea salt on grilled shroom

Directions:

1. Grab your mushroom and peel it. Slice off the thick stem so the shroom lays flat.

2. Whisk together your marinade ingredients in a shallow bowl. Add your mushroom to the marinade and allow to soak for a few minutes - on each side.

3. Turn on your grill or panini press.

4. Place marinated mushroom on grill. Also place a few stacked slices of bread.

5. While the mushroom is cooking, slice your romaine lettuce and place in a shallow salad bowl - or plate.

6. Dress the salad in your super simple lemon dressing: squeeze a lemon over top, drizzle some EVOO and grind fresh black pepper over top. Capers dotted on the greens would be a nice touch as well.

7. Your mushroom should be done after about 5 minutes. Grab it and dunk it back in the leftover marinade for a quick cool-off soak. Then place on cutting board to slice into thin strips. Add a pinch of coarse sea salt if you'd like.

Slice:

8. Lay sliced mushroom over top your romaine salad. Add more fresh black pepper over the top of the mushroom. Slice your tomato, soak the cubes in the leftover balsamic marinade and add to salad.

9. Grab your grilled bread slices and cut into triangles. Plate salad with a few triangles of bread and an optional side of roasted garlic hummus.

Serve!

Dive in...


Peeled Shroom:

This Peaches and Banana Cream Pie vegan dessert is my toast to one of my favorite summer fruits: golden, juicy, fuzzy, dreamy peaches.

Simple Summer Recipes. My favorite summer desserts are simple, elegant, fresh and fuss-free. So for this recipe, I let the flavor of those perfectly simple juicy peaches guide my creation.

Inspired Flavors. This recipe combines two of may favorite desserts: banana cream pie and peach cobbler. It has a cool, creamy fresh banana pudding layer topped with a lacing of sliced peaches drizzled in thick maple or agave syrup. The base, a simple graham cracker crust. Grab a bag of peaches and try this easy recipe....

Summer Fruit Desserts. Summer fruit is delicious on it's own - that's why I like to keep berries, peaches, apricots, cherries as fresh and raw as possible in my summer desserts. Fresh strawberry pies, fresh cherry pie-fait's and now this fresh Peaches and Banana Cream Pie.

I Love Peaches. Peaches just may be my favorite fruit. For desserts, definitely. I remember driving through Georgia for the first time one summer - with my kitty cat in the car mind you - I was so excited to taste farm fresh Georgia peaches! And they lived up to all the hype. I think I stopped at just about every stand I could find. I ate a lot of peaches that trip. 🙂

Summer peaches are dreamy. And healthy.

Healthy Peaches. Peaches are divine - - and super healthy. One large peach has only around 40-70 calories (every peach is different) and is loaded with hydrating juice and healthy fiber. Vitamins C and A are also packed under that fuzzy skin. you also get a nice boost of potassium, copper and vitamins E and K. source.

Serving. This pie is quite soft to serve. This is another one of my "pie-fait" desserts where I prefer to serve the pie in a dessert bowl or short parfait glass instead of on a plate. I like the presentation of a 'pie' - but unless you add in a few extra firming ingredients like arrowroot powder, corn starch or agar - this pie will be of the soft side. Chilling overnight will help the firming process as well as using a wide dish so that the pudding layer is shallow. But really, I am quite fine with the pudding-esque consistency. Peaches and banana cream - yum!!!

Now onto my dreamy peach recipe.....

Peaches and Banana Cream Pie
vegan, makes 1 pie and 2 mini pies or parfaits

2 ripe, black-spotted bananas
1 package banana pudding mix (Dr Oetker brand is vegan)
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoon vegan buttery spread
½ teaspoon cinnamon
½ cup soy milk
1 package silken tofu
pinch of salt
3 tablespoon agave or maple syrup
2 large yellow peaches, rips, sliced very thin
2 lemons
optional garnish: dashes of cayenne, cinnamon/sugar

Tasting Tips: After tasting the finished product last night I loved the silky flavor of the banana cream pudding. Luscious and flavorful. The peaches were sweet and juicy - I found the extra-thinly sliced peaches melted into the cream layer perfectly. My tips: slice the peaches extra thin! And also, (optional) add a few graham cracker crumbles and/or granola over top the peaches - when you serve the dish. This will soak up some of the excess peach juice.

Directions:

1. Slice your peaches and soak them in lemon juice - from one squeezed lemon. Optional: add a bit of maple/agave to this soak too. You can even add a pinch of sea salt if you'd like. Set aside.

2. Turn on stove. In a soup pot add the soy milk, pudding mix, silken tofu, 2 bananas (lightly smashed), cinnamon, vanilla, vegan buttery spread and salt.

3. Stir continuously until the mixture bubbles and boils. About 4-5 minutes. It will be lumpy from the tofu and bananas.

4. Remove from heat and add the juice of one lemon (chilled preferably to cool off the mixture a bit before blending). Transfer the mixture to a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth and creamy.

5. Grab your graham cracker crust and pour the banana pudding mixture into the shell. Pour leftover mix into small mini pies or make fresh fruit parfaits.

6. Elegantly layer your sliced peaches over top the pudding.

7. Drizzle the maple or agave syrup over top the peaches. Add a few dashes of cinnamon sugar over top as well.

8. Let chill overnight (or at least 2-4 hours). Serve in a dessert bowl.

*these were the mini pies I made with the leftover filling. Re-used old pie tins.

I even made Dessert for Breakfast the next day...

More peach photos for my fellow peach lovers out there...

Hot-weather, "cool" recipe: Chilled Soba Noodles! Yes, please.

#What'sForDinner? Perusing my cabinets I spotted a nice bag of soba noodles, and the craving hit! Perfectly cold, chilled soba noodles would make the perfect recipe for a sticky-stuffy hot summer night.

The flavors: Chilled soba noodles that are citrus-infused, mushroom-garnished, wasabi-spiced and crushed-peanut accented. Soba, aka buckwheat noodles, are incredibly healthy. And delicious.

So I pulled out my New Year's Eve Soba Noodle recipe and decided on a few easy-version modifications. Give my recipe a look...

What is Soba? Soba noodles are one of the various types of Japanese noodles (udon, ramen, soba and shirataki). Soba noodles are made of buckwheat flour, or a mix of buckwheat and other various flours or wild yam.

> Read my complete SOBA 101 post here for a classic recipe and many fun Soba Noodle facts and tips.

> Another Cold Soba Recipe: Pad Thai Soba with Spicy Peanut Sauce.

I used beech mushrooms for this recipe, but shiitake or crimini work beautifully too!

For my "Easy-Vegan-Version" recipe, I decided to take this recipe which I love and simplify it a bit. Here is the end result recipe...

Chilled Wasabi Peanut Citrus Soba Noodles, with Mushrooms
vegan, makes about 6 servings

1 package Soba Noodles, 8.8 ounces
*I used Eden brand Wild Yam Soba Noodles
Boiling Broth:
1 orange, juiced and zested
2 tablespoon agave syrup
1 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoon wasabi powder
4 tablespoon soy sauce
a few dashes of dried spices (garlic powder onion powder - whatever you have on hand)

Cold Toss-In Ingredients:
2 tablespoon sesame oil (use another oil if no sesame oil on hand)
1 lime, juiced
¼ cup crushed peanuts
¼ cup scallions, chopped thin
1 cup sauteed mushrooms
1 small can mandarin oranges
black pepper to taste

optional soba add-ins:
a few sliced umeboshi plums for garnish/fold-in
2 tablespoon peanut butter
chopped parsley or cilantro
sesame seeds
fresh grated ginger

Directions:

1. Prepare boiling broth by adding 3 ½ cups of water to soup pot. Add in all broth ingredients: juice and zest, agave syrup, black pepper, wasabi powder, soy sauce. Bring broth to a boil.

2. Add in the dry soba noodles. Make sure the noodles are completely covered with water. If you need to add more liquid, add more water as needed.

3. Boil noodles for 6-8 minutes. While boiling, prepare a big bowl of ice water bath. You can also prep the toss-in ingredients while the noodles are boiling (chop the scallions, etc.)

4. After 6-8 minutes drain noodles, however do not toss the boiling broth down the drain - save it in a separate bowl. This leftover broth can be used as a flavoring ingredient in other dishes or even sipped as a soup on its own.

5. Immediately submerge the noodles (still in a strainer) into the ice bath. Rinse the noodles very well with ice cold water. Toss to remove excess water. Set aside. Dry well with air. Dry them on a bamboo mat if you have one.

6. You can now prepare the mushrooms by lightly sauteing them in the leftover broth and a bit of oil. I used a teaspoon of olive oil, but use whatever you'd like. Allow cooked mushrooms to chill in fridge. Drizzle a few drops of sesame oil on top if you'd like. Sesame oil is best when added cold to salads and noodles. It is not ideal for heat.

7. Next, add cold noodles to a large mixing bowl and toss with the flavoring ingredients: sesame oil, peanuts, pepper, scallions, lime, mushrooms and optional citrus. Only use half your portion of mushrooms for the toss-in. The other half will be used as a garnish.

8. Place noodles and shrooms in the fridge to chill for at least 20 minutes before serving. These noodles also taste divine the next day. Cold soba is delicious and healthy.

Read this Soba Noodle post for a similar recipe and a long list of SOBA FACTS.

Or try: Pad Thai Soba with Spicy Peanut Sauce.

If you haven't purchased a big bag of bright red, fresh summer cherries yet this summer - what are you waiting for? Snag a splurge-worthy bag or find some on sale - so you can make this luscious, no bake, vegan dessert.

Cherry Anxiety! One large, 2.75 lb bag of cherries on sale: about $12 here in NYC. I was so excited about my giant bag of cherries, but when I got home from the store I was startled by the sudden onset feeling of: cherry anxiety!!

..Oh no, what if my cherries go to waste? How am I going to eat all these cherries in a few days? What do I do, make, eat now?! So in my cherry panic, I started pitting. And pitting. And pitting. And no, I do not own one of those handy dandy Martha-Stewart-esque easy-breezy cherry pitting devices. I did all 2.75 pounds of cherries by hand. Cherry-stained fingernails and all.

No Bake Cherry Pie. I knew I wanted to make pie, but the 90-degree+ heat leaves me straining for no-bake recipes. So I made a delicious No Bake Chocolate Covered Cherry Pudding Pie / Parfait. Fresh summer cherries and creamy rich chocolate pudding - an easy vegan dessert worth trying! Get my recipe...

Pie or Parfait? You get to pick with this recipe. Pour a thin layer of pudding into a shallow graham cracker crust and chill overnight for a soft-serve pudding pie. Or layer graham sprinkles with cherries and pudding for a summertime parfait...

Cherry-Choco Pudding Pie:

Summer Cherries. I love cherries. Sweet and tart and loaded with heart-skin-body healthy antioxidants. See why I think they are worth the sometimes hefty price tag: cherry price-justification and nutrition facts.

Summer Cherries, hand-pitted:

Tofu or No Tofu. I like this recipe with silken tofu. But if you do not have silken tofu on hand you can simply sub the tofu with 1 ¾ cups of soy milk - yes the consistency will be a tad softer.

NEW! I just added an easy topping for this pie or pie-fait. Tart Cherry Juice Sauce!..

Chocolate Covered Cherry Pudding Pie-fait Pie or Parfait
vegan, makes 1 pie and 1 large parfait or 3 large parfaits

2 lbs cherries, pitted, halved (about 3 cups)
1 ⅔ cups silken tofu + 3 tablespoon soy milk OR 1 ¾ cups soy milk
¼ cup sugar
2 tablespoon cocoa powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 package Dr Oetker's chocolate pudding mix
pinch salt
optional: 1 teaspoon cayenne for a spicy layer of flavor and/or 2 tablespoon of grapeseed oil for added richness.

1 ½ cups graham cracker crumbs or/and a pre-made graham crust

Tart Cherry Juice Sauce Topping:
1 ½ cups tart cherry juice
1-2 tablespoon sugar
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract (opt’l)
1 tablespoon corn starch
1-2 tablespoon vegan buttery spread

Directions:

1. Wash, pit and halve all your cherries. Reserve about ¾ cup fresh cherries for garnishing and layering. Prep your grahams for layering or for crust by crushing by hand or in food processor.

2. Bring your soy milk, tofu, sugar and pudding mix to a soft boil on your stovetop. If you are only using soy milk (no tofu) your boil should look like this:

If you are using tofu, it will be significantly lumpier.

3. Add in the vanilla extract, cocoa and cinnamon. If you are using tofu, take a break (allow mixture to cool for a minute) transfer your mixture to a food processor or blender - carefully blend until smooth. Transfer back into soup pot and continue process..

4. Your mixture should be smooth now. Add in your cherries (except for the reserved cherries). Bring mixture to a boil and stirring constantly, allow to boil for 5 minutes on medium heat.

5. Turn off heat and immediately pour cherry/chocolate mixture into prepared graham pie crust - or layer with crushed grahams and fresh cherries in parfait cups.

6. Garnish with the reserved fresh cherries.

7. Place your pies/parfaits into fridge to chill - preferably overnight, but minumin of 2 hours.

8. Serve parfait cups. If serving the soft-serve pie you can either spoon large slabs onto a plate or spoon large slabs into dessert cups. The consistency is that of a soft custard pie.

9. For the sauce, I like to make mine right before serving so it is still warm and sticky. Simply dissolve the corn starch in the cold cherry juice. Place all ingredients in pot on stove over high heat. Stir until the mixture thickens. Pour. Allow to cool a tad and drizzle over top dessert!

Mistakes in the kitchen are not always a bad thing. I was making a delicious White Yam Sweet Garlic Bean soup - but the flavor turned out a tad too robust and sweet to be a soup - so I l added an additional ½ can of garbanzo beans to make the consistency nice and thick to create a savory-sweet White Yam Sweet Garlic Bean Dip! Sometimes mistakes in the kitchen turn out deliciously. Get my recipe...

White Yams. You have probably done this once: bought a sweet potato expecting orange flesh - but it turned out the flesh was white! Sometimes I buy white sweet potatoes on purpose - and sometimes by accident. I love their pure sweet flavor that is a tad less earthy than a traditional orange/golden/garnet yam.

I had a craving to make sweet potato soup - but with white yams and sweet roasted garlic. I kept adding ingredients until my soup had a sweet creamy flavor and texture. I loved it! But a few more tastes and I knew the flavor was too sweet - too intense. This was not a soup...but a perfect dip! I warmed up a taste test, dipped with a carrot stick and yum. I felt like such a Dip Diva.

No White Yams? Note: If you can't find white yams, you can reach the same basic recipe flavors with golden sweet potatoes. The only difference is that golden yams will provide an earthier, rustic flavor.

Make it a Soup! If you really want this to be a soup try this: remove the agave syrup and sub half the soy milk with veggie broth. Use EVOO instead of coconut milk. Add some whole chopped celery after you process the ingredients. Water it down with a bit of added water if need be. Give it a try if you are craving white yam soup! Otherwise, try this creamy, robust, savory sweet dip recipe!..

White Yam Sweet Garlic Bean Dip
vegan, makes 6 cups

2 cup white yam, baked/peeled
3 cups soy milk, plain flavored
¼ cup apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoon agave syrup
2 tablespoon garlic powder (or 4 whole roasted cloves)
2 tablespoon "Cajun" dried spices
your choice: ¼ cup coconut milk or 3 tablespoon EVOO or 3 tablespoon Grapeseed Oil
1 sweet onion, peeled, rough chop
1 cup flat-leaf parsley leaves, not stems
1 can garbanzo beans
1 tablespoon black pepper
½-1 teaspoon sea salt (to taste - start out with no additional salt and add as needed)
optional: 1 veggie soup bullion cube

Directions:

1. Bake your sweet potato, peel and add to food processor.

2. Add all other prepped ingredients directly to food processor.

3. Blend until creamy and smooth. Add more or less soy milk to get your desired thickness consistency. Add more parsley for an enhanced green/herb-y flavor.

4. Serve warm by heating in microwave or on stovetop. Drizzle additional EVOO or Grapeseed oil over top for extra decadence. Fresh black pepper over top.

5. Serve with plenty of fresh chopped veggies, bagel chips, grain crackers, fruit slices. Or spread on a wrap or sandwich like hummus. Store leftovers in fridge and eat within a few days.

Groggy and thirsty, you tug yourself from your warm cozy bed after three rounds of "snooze" on your blaring alarm. Time to rise and shine! Here's one way to brush the morning groggies away and unveil your shiny, lustrous self that is ready and excited to face whatever adventures the day brings...

Start you day with fresh-pressed juice! Optimum nutrients and live, good-for-you, fresh-fruit and veggie enzymes. Cravable sweet, tangy, tropical, citrus-filled, bright, crisp and all around yummy flavors. If you don't own a juicer (buying guide here) become a regular at your town's nearest juice bar. Now lets get glowing this morning.

Here are ten yummy fresh-pressed juices to inspire you. What's your favorite fresh-pressed morning juice???...

Wake Up to Fresh-Pressed Juice...

Ten Juice Recipes to Start Your Day - with Photos!

1. Cantaloupe Ginger Juice
Peachy Pink Smooth and Sweet with a Hint of Spice - hydrating and packed with Vitamin A!

(shown above)

2. Vibrant Green Ginger Tonic
Sassy and Sweet Green Juice - palate cleansing kick!

3. My "AM Sunrise" Juice
Zippy Citrus Flavors - spicy and sweet to wake you up from the inside out!

4. Green Juice - 101
Super Green Powered AM! - Have your Green Juice and Make it too! Recipe and guide to crafting your favorite green juice blend.

5. Super Sinus Juice
Allergies be gone - or at least fight them off swifter with this immune-system boosting spicy juice.

6. Spicy Sweet Golden Beet Juice
Vitamin A galore - sweet beets are delicious juiced!

7. Fresh Pineapple Juice
Classic Bromelain Enzyme Rich Pineapple - fresh pressed taste. Compare THIS to a canned pineapple juice! Must try freshness! Tropical Island Bliss.

8. Papaya Juice
My fave morning fruit - in a glass. Gulp, gulp, gulp.

9. Ginger Juice Shooter
Not into a Full Glass?? Try this wake-you-up spicy shot of ginger and pear!

10. My Glass is Greener Juice
Fresh, pure and full of sweet green flavor. Super power you AM with green...

JUICING LINKS:
Juicing 101 - Juicing guide and buying guide
Meet My Juicer

Searching for the Best Vegan Blogs on the web? Look no further. I've researched, scrolled and scoured the web for the best vegan blogs.

**2012 - NOTE THIS LIST IS NOT UP TO DATE - TOO MANY WONDERFUL BLOGS TO ADD! PLEASE ADD YOUR FAVES TO COMMENTS SECTION TO KEEP THE LOVE GOING*

Listed. I've included two lists:

1) Top Favorites - these are the websites I personally visit regularly for a number of reasons. If you don't see your site here and honestly think it should be please reach out to me - the web is vast and I have not seen every single vegan site (though I DO try!)

2) Vegan Blogs Index - a comprehensive list of awesome vegan blogs on the web. I have personally visited every site on my list and want to visit more! If you don't see your favorite vegan blog on my list please @reply me on Twitter @Lunchboxbunch with the tag #BestVeganBlogs and I'll add it to this post. I've added a good handful of blogs already - keep them coming!

See my Top Vegan Blogs...

What is a Vegan Blog? Funny enough, when I started my Healthy. Happy. Life. blog a few years ago I never considered it a "vegan blog". Yes I was posting vegan recipes, but I was more focused on promoting my blog as a place to find delicious, creative recipes and wellness tips for a healthy happy life. Thus the name...

Vegan in Demand. Increasingly, folks everywhere are experimenting with vegan food and they are curious to learn more. I call these people vegan newbies. Maybe you are one of them. Experimenting with a few vegan recipes, but not yet ready to commit to the sometimes painstaking (always rewarding) lifestyle of being vegan. This list is a nice place for newbies to start.

Craving Vegan Food? If vegan has perked your interest you've dined at restaurants like Pure Food and Wine, Dirt Candy, Real Food Daily, Blossom, Babycakes and Millennium - all are enticing vegans and non-vegans alike.

Vegan Photos. Or maybe you saw a delicious-looking snapshot of some vegan food on the web. Like my recipe for Vegan Ricotta Lasagna . "That's vegan?" many people will say.

If I haven't made you hungry for vegan food yet watch this "Are You Hungry" video - and you'll see my point.

Beyond Food Blogs. Vegan blogs aren't just about food. The other side of vegan blogs: animals. Bunny logos. Kitty cats. Lovable loyal dogs. Cute perky ducks and chickens soaking in the sun. And while I try to not get too political on my recipe/food themed blog - vegan recipes and compassion do go hand in hand.

Here is my comprehensive guide to Vegan Blogs on the Web! A short descriptive quip graces each of my Top Favorites picks.

Note: A few of these "blogs" are actually websites. But I included them because of their dynamic content - similar to that of a traditional blog. VegNews.com is a good example of this. It's not a 'blog' - but still a top vegan site.

Also, I only included sites that are seemingly active and given a lot of LOVE.

Best Vegan Blogs (my top favorites) List

These are my favorite sites to find vegan recipes, photos, ideas, news, tips, reviews and more! *in no particular order*

1. Healthy Happy Life
Moi. Vegan recipes, photos, wellness tips for a healthy happy life.
2. Crazy Sexy Life
Solid content (and lots of it) from a few fave VEG superstars.
3. Girlie Girl Army
Your guide to Glamazon Living. Fashion, food, fun from Chloe Jo.
4. Healthy Voyager
Vegan Travel. Videos and more. Someone give this girl a travel show!
5. VegBlogs
Vegan blog links - updated frequently.
6. VegDaily
Crazy obsessed with the vegetarian lifestyle, co-founder @mparrishdudell
7. The Discerning Brute
Joshua Katcher: food, fashion, and etiquette for the ethically handsome man.
8. The Kind Life
Alicia Silverstone's website spin-off from her book "The Kind Diet".
9. Babycakes - blog
Yummy, fun updates from one of your fave vegan NYC/LA bakeries.
10. Quarry Girl
Vegan living/eating in LA - cool content, fab photos. Operation Pancake.
11. The Blissful Chef
Blissful Vegan Chef and educator Christy Morgan.
12. Fat Free Vegan Kitchen
Susan V's delicious vegan recipes and food photos.
13. Dirt Candy Blog
Super fun blog by Dirt Candy owner/Chef Amanda Cohen.
14. Discovering Raw
Tummy-growl warning: Beautiful food photography - lots of Pure Food and Wine pics.
15. Tastespotting - vegan
Tastespotting.com's tag for all VEGAN recipes. Updated hourly.
16. FoodGawker - vegan
Foodgawker.com's VEGAN category - updated hourly.
17. PPK
The Veganomicon author's vast everything-vegan site. Fabulous discussion boards.
18. G Living
Just discovered this modern, chic, video, trend-infused site. New fave.
19. Cafe Veg News and Veg News
Vegan eats, news, trends and more, everyday! The best vegan magazine.
20. Bitter Sweet
Lovely blog with recipes/photos from author of My Sweet Vegan.
21. Nutrition for Empowered Women
Alex (from the Super Size Me movie) and her fabulous vegan nutrition site.
22. We Like it Raw
Everything RAW.
23. Vegan.com
Everything VEGAN.
24. Kathy Freston
NY Times Best-selling author and Wellness Expert Kathy Freston. Great info.
25. Kristen's Raw
Kristen serves up delicious raw food tips, recipes, photos and life lessons.
26. Pure Food and Wine Sarma's Blog
Sarma co-founder/owner of Pure Food and Wine in NYC. She is an inspiring, real writer - I never miss her blog posts.
27. The Clean Eating Mama
Photos, recipes and insight from Tasha the Clean Eating Mama.
28. Karina's Kitchen
Recipes and advice from the gluten free goddess Karina.
29. Marilu
Vegan trailblazer, NY Times best-selling author and actress Marilu - blog posts and updates.
30. Meatless Monday
Your homepage for all things Meatless on Mondays.
31. HLife Media
Healthy Living Re-Defined. Just found this site - LOVE it!
32. Ecorazzi
It's like the TMZ of green, healthy, vegan peeps in-the-know. Only nicer.
33. Vegansaurus
San Francisco vegans can delight in this peppy fun blog w/ delicious vegan info!
34. Healthy Bitch Daily
I LOVE this skinny bitch's website. ....from Kim B co-author of the Skinny Bitch book.
35. Vegan Mainstream
Priceless resource for vegan businesses and consumers alike. Info galore.
36. Finding vegan
All things vegan. Found.
37. Oh She Glows. Awesomeness. Lover her blog. Photos are gorg. Food is fresh and delish.

Keep Reading! Check out how many awesome vegan sites there are below!

Grab a smoothie and start cruising these sites! And keep up the great work bloggers!!....

Complete Index of Vegan Blogs and Websites

If you want your site listed - simply @reply my on Twitter - @Lunchboxbunch - with the tag #BestVeganBlogs and I will be sure to add you to this list.

*don't forget some sites may be filed under starting with "The"

500 Vegan Recipes
A Good Clean Life
Addicted to Veggies
Alissa Cohen Blog
All About Vegan Food
All That Vegan Jazz
Almost Vegan
An Herbavore's Guide to Lite Eating
Awesome Vegan Rad
An Opera Singer in the Kitchen
Andrea's Easy Vegan Cooking
Any Phyo
Ari Soloman
Autonomie Project blog
Avoiding Milk Protein
B36 Kitchen
Babs Goes Vegan
Babycakes - blog
Barnivore
Bean Vegan
Becoming Vegan
Big Raw Vegan Blog
Bitchin Dietitian
Bitt of Raw
Bitter Sweet
Blissfully Vegan
Blisstree
Bob Harper Blog
Bohemian Vegan
Bonzai Aphrodite
Bunniecakes
Bunnyfoot
But What Does She Eat?
By Any Greens Necessary
Cafe Veg News
Cake Maker to the Stars
Candy Penny
C'est la Vegan
Chia Seed Me
Chic Vegan
Chicago Soy Dairy - blog
Chicos and Beans
Coconut Raita
Chocolate Covered Katie
Choosing Raw
Chow Vegan
Cinnaholic - blog
Clean Eats in the Dirty South
Compassionate Cooks
Constant Cravings
Cook. Vegan. Lover.
Cooking with T
Crazy Sexy Life
Cute and Delicious
Dawn Watch
DC Vegan
Diet Dessert and Dogs
Dina Knight
Dirt Candy Blog
Discovering Raw
Down Home Vegan
Down to Earth
Dreamin it Vegan
Dreena's Vegan Recipes
Earth Mother - In the Raw
Earth Muffin
Earthoria
Eat Drink Better
Eat Drink and Be Vegan
Eat Pure
Eats Well With Others
Eco Luxe Magazine
Ecorazzi
Eggless Cooking
Farm Sanctuary
Fat bottom Bakery
Fat Free Vegan Kitchen
Feel Good Guru - Food
FoodGawker - vegan
Gene Baur's Blog - Making Hay
G Living
Ginger is the New Pink
Girlie Girl Army
Gluten-Free Tries Vegan
Gluten-Free Vegan
Gone Raw
Good Good Things
GoodBite - vegan
Green Mommy Blog
Green Vegan Living
Green Wedding Blog
Growing Up Veg
Green With Glamour Blog
Haiku Tofu
Happy Cow
Happy Herbivore
Happy Little Vegans
Happy Vegan Face
Happy Vegetable
Have Cake, Will Travel
Hardcore Herbivore
Health and Happiness in LA
Healthy Bitch Daily
Healthy Happy Life
Healthy Happy Well
Healthy Tipping Point
Healthy Voyager
Heather Mills - News
Hello Veggie
Herbavoracious
HLife Media
Hugger Food
Hungry Vegan
I Eat Grass
I Eat Trees
Irreverent Vegan
Jack Norris RD
JL Goes Vegan
Joanna Vaught
Karina's Kitchen
Kathy Freston
Kind Green Planet
Kindly Indulge Me
Kirsten's Kitchen
Kiss Me, I'm Vegan
Kitchen Bloody Kitchen
Know Thank You
Kohlrabia and Quince
Kristen's Raw
Lazy Smurf's Guide
Lesley Eats
Let's Get Sconed
Let's See What Happens
Lifestyles of the Chic and Vegan
Little Things Are Big
Little Vegan Planet
Live It Up Vegan
Livin Veg
Living Foods
Living Without Meat
Lovebirds Kitchen
Lovin Livin Vegan
Low Fat Vegan Recipes
Manifest Vegan
Marilu
Marty's Flying
Meatless Monday
Meet the Shannons
Melissa's Vegan Blog
Midwest Veg
Mobetta Vegan
Moby - Journal
Mom's Vegan Kitchen
Moo Shoes
Musings from the Fishbowl
Namely Marly
Native Foods Blog
Neil Barnard -PCRM
Never Home Maker
Notes From the Vegan Feast Kitchen
Nourish the Spirit
Nutrition for Empowered Women
Oh, For Pete's Sake
Opera girl Cooks
OrganiKook
Our Hen House
Paul Eats
PCRM
Peas and Thank You
Peta2
Picks Over Peas
Planet Verge
Plant Based Dietitian
Powered by Produce
Post Punk Kitchen
Pride and Vegudice
Pure Food and Wine Sarma's Blog
Pure Mamas
Quantum Vegan
Quarry Girl
Queer Vegan Runner
Rabbit Food
Raw Food Crafting
Raw Vegan Radio
Rawmazing
Real Food Daily Blog
Roadside organics
Sassy Kitchen
Savvy Abby
Seitan is my Motor
Selfish Vegan
Sexy Tofu
Shannon Dunn
Show Me Vegan
Simple Green Girl
Skinny Bitch
SoMe Vegans
Soundly Vegan
Soy Happy
Speed Vegan
Spork Foods
Spovegan
Sun Food Community
Sundae Mornings
Super Vegan
Strawberry Pepper
Sweet Beet and Green Bean
Sweet on Veg
Tale of Two Vegans
Tastespotting - vegan
The Airy Way
The Best of Raw Food
The Blissful Chef
The Blooming Platter
The Clean Eating Mama
The Clean Program
The Daily Green
The Dirty Vegan
The Discerning Brute
The Fat Free Vegan
The Kind Life
The Lunchbox Bunch
The PETA Files
The Raw Food Site
The "V" Word
The Vegan Diet
The Vegan Dietitian
The Vegan Mom
The Vegan Mouse
The Vegan Project
The Vegan Store
The Year of the Vegan
The Happy Raw Kitchen
The Unprocessed Life
The Urban Housewife
The VeganAsana
The Veganette
Vivaciously Vegan
The Voracious Vegan
This Dish is Veg
This is Vegan
To Happy Vegans
To Live and Eat in LA
Tofu N Sproutz
Tofu and Collards
Traveling Vegan
Tree hugger
Tree of Live Rejuvenation Center Blog
Troo Food Liberation
Upton's Natural Recipe Blog
Urban Vegan
Vegacious
Vegaroo
Veg Bitch
Veg Blogs
Veg Daily
Veg News
Veg News Book Club
Veg News - Press Pass
Veg News - This Just In
Veg Paradise
Vegan.com
Vegan Americana
Vegan Appetite
Vegan Awakening
Vegan Bake Sale
Vegan Baking
Vegan Bits
Vegan Bus
Vegan Coach
Vegan Cookbook Critic
Vegan Crunk
Vegan Dad
Vegan Dance if you Want to
Vegan Eats and Treats
Vegan Essentials
Vegan Family Style
Vegan Fitness
Vegan Foody
Vegan Future
Vegan Good Things
Vegan Guinea Pig
Vegan Health Org
Vegan Homeade
Vegan Ice Cream
Vegan in Brussels
Vegan in Suburbia
Vegan in the Sun
Vegan Lunchbox
Vegan Lush
Vegan Mainstream
Vegan Mania
Vegan MissAdventures in the Kitchen
Vegan Num Num
Vegan RD
Vegan Runners
Vegan Shoe Addict

Family Pasta Night is a family tradition that I swooned over as a kid and still get giddy about as an adult. Check out how I give the classic dish Spaghetti and Meatballs a delicious, satisfying vegan makeover in my recipe for Spaghetti and Tempeh Cubes! With homemade Marinara...

Steamy pasta slathered in a rich garlic and tomato-basil sauce, a sprinkle of dusty Parm-style cheese on top - a dish that will bring just about anyone to the dinner table.

Lots of YUM in this post: Get my recipe/photos for Spaghetti and Tempeh Cubes - plus read my "Drunk on Tomato Sauce And Happiness." essay and get excited about pasta night!

Pasta Night Memories. We ate a lot of pasta in my family. I don't know if that was because we all loved it so much or because it was one of those rare magical dishes that we could all unabashedly agree upon. Angel hair pasta, also known as Capelli d'angelo, was the family favorite. Chunky red sauce from my mom's steaming soup pot. Homemade garlic bread always toasting in the oven.

Happy Birthday Dad! Today is my dad's birthday. And pasta night makes me think of him. Though my mom was the everyday cook in my family, my dad made my sister and I a good handful of pasta when we were kids. Angel hair pasta, red sauce and plenty of Parmesan cheese to go around. That was "dad's specialty". I could always count on my dad for making angel hair pasta (my fave as a kid), even when my sister and mom lobbied for spaghetti or linguine. Thanks dad.

Pasta Night 2010. I still love pasta night. I like to get really fancy and choose exotic varieties of pasta I have never even heard of. It's funny, the one thing my husband seems to know more about than me when it comes to cooking is different pasta names: Pappardelle, Fusilli, Gemelli, Penne, Trennette, Farfelle, Lanterne, Orecchiette or Orzo. He points and names them off like he is Mario Batalli in the Babbo kitchen!

Specialty pasta can be found all over NYC - even at large grocery stores. And whenever my poor hubby groans about getting dragged into Whole Foods on a sunny Saturday afternoon - I simply take him to the pasta aisle to play and he is all good. One site of a rustic-looking whole wheat Gemelli and his eyes light up. Pasta was big in his family too.

Vegan Ingredients. Here is how I veganize pasta night:

1) Vegan Pasta. Read pasta labels to make sure there are no egg or milk products. I try to go for super simple ingredients: whole wheat, water, salt, maybe a few veggie extracts upon occasion for color. But beware of 'purple' or 'black' colored pasta - the color is usually from squid ink. I love whole wheat pasta or even rice pasta that is gluten free. The nutrition benefits over white grained pasta are substantial: fiber, protein. (although sometimes I crave white pasta, I'll admit!) Sprouted grain pastas or pastas with added super foods like flax seeds are also fabulous. And if you make your own pasta, good for you.

Dry Pasta, O and Co. brand:

2) Red Sauce. If I am buying a bottle of sauce on a busy night, I check for ingredients like anchovies, heavy cream, milk, eggs, sausage, butter and other non-vegan ingredients that may be lurking in a perfectly normal-looking bottle of red sauce. Again, simple is usually your safest bet. Tomatoes, EVOO, herbs, salt, pepper. When I have time I love to make my own sauce with a complex combination of fresh and store-bought ingredients.

3) Tomatoes. Read this post to see why I prefer using boxed tomato products over canned tomato products. However, I do use my share of San Marzano canned tomatoes from time to time.

4) Oil in sauce is super important. You may notice a vast price difference between sauces on your grocery store shelf. Ranging from $3 - $10. Read those labels! The cheaper bottles are usually made with SOYBEAN OIL. The more expensive bottles are usually made with extra virgin olive oil. Go with the EVOO! It tastes better and is better for you. Some bottles have a mix of veggie oils and olive oil. Not a bad option - but I prefer 100% EVOO for my pasta night.

5) Cheese. I love broiling some cheese over top pasta for a "baked ziti" feel. I love Mozzarella Follow Your Heart or Italian-white Daiya brand cheeses. I use them both in many of my recipes in my recipe index. For Parmesan cheese I adore Galaxy Nutritional Food's brand. It tastes delicious and has that dry grainy texture of real Parm cheese. Go for the 100% vegan variety in the purple bottle. There is a Rice Cheese option too, but it is not vegan. My husband loves it too. 15 calories in 2 tsp. It is made from a soy product blend.

6) The __balls. Meatballs are out, tempeh cubes are in! There are several ways to add a boost of protein to your pasta night. My two favorite ways: tempeh cubes, plain and simple. They soak up the pasta sauce and have a light bittersweet flavor that I love. I don't even saute them before adding to the dish. I simply toss cubed tempeh into the boiling pasta water about 2 minutes before draining. Then I toss the tempeh and pasta with my sauce, pour into a casserole dish, sprinkle with cheese and heat everything in the oven, covered for an additional 20 minutes. My second favorite pasta night add-in: Field Roast vegan sausages sliced thin. I love the Spicy Chipotle flavor best.

Tempeh Cubes in Pasta:

7) Veggies! I go crazy adding garden ingredients to my pasta: zucchini, broccoli, olives, mushrooms, onions, capers, eggplant, brussel sprouts, chopped chard, spinach, fresh tomatoes, fresh garlic, roasted garlic, basil, asparagus, bell peppers and more. This is the easiest way to give your pasta a creative twist every time you make it.

Drunk on Tomato Sauce... I recently entered my 500 word essay answering the question "What Does it Mean to Cook Well?" on the Anthony Bourdain website. I know, I know Tony isn't exactly fond of vegans, but I don't care. I love to write and write I did. Here is an excerpt from my essay. You can read my full essay online here and please vote for it! You can vote once a day. Wouldn't it be awesome if a vegan won? Wishful thinking... Here's the excerpt:

"The scene. I’d hang my head over a boiling pot, squinting through the fuzzy steam to watch my mom dance in the balmy kitchen spotlight. The thick smell of sticky roasted garlic climbing up my nostrils as she vigorously spins steaming yarn-like pasta into a gooey glowing red ball. She slowly lays the fluffy strands on a bright yellow platter. Like an infant laid to rest in it's crib. Suddenly a snowstorm of Parmesan cheese glides from her hands followed by a swift Donald Trump cobra-hand of intoxicating chopped basil, swiped from the cutting board. Tableside, I bite into a melting warm fork of pasta - my entire body oozes into the steam lifting off my plate and onto my face. Eyes closed. Mouth curled. I am twelve and I am drunk on tomato sauce. And happiness. You won’t find that on an index card." - Kathy P, read full essay here.

Now onto my recipe...

Spaghetti and Tempeh Cubes
vegan, serves 4 with leftovers

9 oz dry Spaghetti pasta (give or take)
salted water for boiling

8 ounces tempeh, cubed
½ can black olives
1 ½ cups shiitake mushrooms, chopped
1 cups leafy green veggie (spinach, kale, chard), chopped
4-8 whole cloves of garlic
on hand:
Parmesan cheese, vegan
black pepper
red pepper flakes (opt'l)
fresh basil, chopped

Marinara Sauce
3 ½ cups strained tomatoes
2 roma tomatoes, roughly chopped
1 small white onion, diced
4 tablespoon Italian dry seasoning blend (oregano, basil, garlic)
8 cloves fresh garlic, chopped (you can also roast your garlic)
¼ cup apple cider vinegar (adds a zippy flavor I personally love)
¼ cup EVOO
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoon agave syrup
¼ cup fresh basil, chopped (optional)
1-2 tablespoon vegan buttery spread (optional - makes a richer sauce)

Optional: vegan white cheese for a bubbly topping effect (you will need to bake pasta for this method).

Directions:

1. Prepare your marinara sauce on your stove. Add all ingredients to a pot and allow to simmer for at least 20 minutes. (Or you can simply use a good store bought brand - there are plenty out there).

2. Boil your salted water - drop pasta for about 6-10 minutes, depending on brand. If baking your pasta: Preheat your oven to a warm 350 degrees.

3. Two minutes before your pasta is ready, add in the diced tempeh cubes, whole garlic cloves and chopped mushrooms - right on top on the pasta. Stir everything around a bit with your spoon so the pasta doesn't stick.

4. Drain your pasta and cubes. The tempeh, garlic and mushrooms will be cooked just enough so that they are tender, but not mushy. Pour the pasta, shroom, garlic and tempeh into a large bowl. Add a tablespoon of EVOO and toss well.

5. Add your hot pasta sauce to the pasta/tempeh/shrooms/garlic. Toss well. Add in the olives, chopped kale, a bit of Parmesan cheese and optional red pepper flakes. Toss well. The heat from the pasta should wilt the greens a bit. Pour your the mixture into an extra large casserole dish.

6. You can either 1) serve as is. or 2) Top with grated vegan Mozzarella cheese and broil the pasta for 5-10 minutes. Leave in a warm oven until ready to serve.

7. Serve with some fresh chopped basil, a sprinkle of Parm and an additional drizzle of EVOO if you'd like. This pasta is delicious for next-day leftovers.

Get drunk on tomato sauce tonight...

Serve!

And don't forget to vote for my essay! many thanks 🙂

More spaghetti photos...

If you are looking for some classic summertime inspiration for a Meatless Monday recipe that your whole family will love, try my Beachy Mini Pizzas. Two recipes: Pesto and Classic Marinara. Gather the kids, the husband, the wife, the siblings, the pets or your pals and have some fun in the kitchen getting creative with PIZZA!

Pizza Mondays! For a long time I've enjoyed having pizza Mondays in my house. Mondays are always super busy so why not wind down at dinner time with some easy, fun comfort food pizza - try them vegan this time!

Toppings. Add some vegan cheese and choose your fave toppings. Mushrooms, garlic, spinach, broccoli, olives, peppers, pumpkin sunflower or hemp seeds or my little favorite: a few de-seeded lemon slices for some zip and zing!

Soy pepperoni, vegan Field Roast sausage slices and marinated tempeh are delicious protein toppings on vegan pizza. The bottom line: have fun!! Afterall, isn't that what pizza is all about?

Get my Beachy Pizza Recipes HERE...

BEACHY PIZZA RECIPES - Recipe Rewind here.

This is hilarious... If you thought they had thought of everything when it came to online dating sites - think again! Here is one more that just may perk your veggie foodie interests (and tummy) if you are single and looking for love - or your salad soul mate...

Single, and ready to... munch?

SaladMatch.com is the new online dating site from the makers of Just Salad - a yummy salad restaurant here in NYC. Find your true love based on your salad preferences... hehehe... check this out..

Salad Match lets you find love by finding your fave salad.

Love beets, carrots, cucumbers and garbanzo beans? Your salad match made in a salad bar line - just may be out there for you!

Luckily, I've already found my salad soul mate. Who ironically does not like many similar salad ingredients as me...but oh well. We do both love arugula, mushrooms, light on the dressing, croutons, pickles, tomatoes, sliced olives, watercress, onions, fresh pepper on top and a long list of other yummy things. But if he had seen green beans in my salad (I love them, he hates them), he probably would've ran for the door. hmmm.

I say, if you can find someone who appreciates a good veggie salad - that's a fabulous place to start.

Happy healthy salad eating and happy soul mate finding.

Check out Salad Match online here.

Just Salad website

If you aren't into the Salad Match theory...you can always try one of these Veggie Dating Sites...

* Veggie Date
* Raw Vegan Dating
* Veg Connect
* Vegans 4 U
* Vegan Passions
* Veggie Fishing

Some yummy salads to inspire your new relationship...

To-Go Salad with Cashew Nut Cheese Ricotta:

Big Kahuna Salad:

Medi Couscous Salad:

Paris Mushroom/Spinach Salad:

And FYI, found out about this silly, yet possibly practical site on one of my FAVE #BestVeganBlogs: Babycakes NYC

Here is my how-to guide to soaking nuts and seeds for easy, delicious, raw, vegan dip/spread recipes.

Get Creative with Healthy Nuts. After reading this post you'll be able to make hundreds of creative, customized soaked nut recipes. These cravable recipes can be used as dips, spreads, party appetizers, sandwich fillings, faux creamy cheese spreads, nut-hummus and more! Here are a few examples:

* Tu-Nut Sandwich Filling (faux tuna)
* Chive "Ricotta" Cashew-Nut Cheese
* Almond Spreads: 3 Ways

Plus, nuts and seeds are healthy and satisfying. You'll forget that you are eating 100% raw, vegan food packed with healthy nut nutrients, fiber and protein. Get my guide as well as a bonus recipe for my Peppy Pepita Avo-Almond Dip...

My Base Recipe. Below is my base recipe for creating nut/seed dips and spreads - with a full explanation of ingredients to follow...

Simple Soaked Nut/Seed Base Recipe
vegan and raw, makes 6 cups

16 ounces raw nuts/seeds of choice , soaked overnight (see below)
about 1 ½ cups soaking liquid (salt water that the nuts/seeds soaked in)
1-4 tablespoon oil of choice
1-4 tablespoon sweetener of choice
salt to taste (at least ¾ tsp)
pepper to taste (at least 1 tsp)
1-4 tablespoon astringent liquid of choice
recommended: 1-5 tablespoon powder/concentrated seasonings (garlic powder, harissa, onion powder ect)
optional: whole herbs/fruit/veggies for flavor (olives, jalapeno, onions, parsley, dill, beans, sweet potato, spinach, mushroom... etc)

Directions:

1. Soak nuts/seeds overnight.
2. Drain liquid, toss. Use fresh water as liquid.
3. Place all ingredients into food processor (add water a little at a time so that you don't over-liquefy)
4. Process until desired texture is reached.
5. Store in fridge to chill or serve as is.
6. Serve as a dip, sandwich spread, faux creamy cheese in recipes, and more...!

How to Soak Nuts: Simply place your nuts or seeds in a large bowl. Add enough water to cover them. Add in a pinch of salt and swirl around. Cover and place in a cool dry place to soak overnight. If you can't use your soaked nuts quickly the next day place them in the fridge for about another day until you are ready. I personally always like to use my soaked nuts within 1-2 days of soaking.

Soaked and Drained Cashew Nuts:

Get the basic idea? Great! Lets get creative...

Soaking Nuts 101. Learning to make a basic soaked nut recipe base is like learning to make a basic plain muffin mix, vanilla ice cream base or soup base. Once you create a base recipe canvas - you can color your recipe with hundreds of ingredient and flavor combinations. The delicious possibilities stretch far and wide.

You can shift the basic elements of spicy, sweet, salty, sour, bitter. You can turn up the creamy smoothness or jazz it up with a more rugged chunky, flaky texture. Add in lots of accessory flavors and spices - or keep it pure and simple with just nuts, water, salt and pepper.

Important Tip: Taste as you go! You'll want to taste your recipe after processing - then modify the ingredients to suit your taste buds. You'll have the base recipe to guide you, but I think you'll really enjoy adding your own spin on each batch of nut spread/dip you create!

Not only can you modify the flavor ingredients, but the base nut/seed ingredients as well. Check out the wide variety of base ingredients to choose from:

List of Nuts and Seeds - Ingredient Options:
almonds
pepitas, pumpkin seeds
sunflower seeds
caraway seeds
sesame seeds
brazilnuts
hazelnuts
cashew nuts
walnuts
pistachio nuts
pecans
hemp seeds
poppy seeds
macadamia nuts
cashews
peanuts

-> get healthy nut nutrition facts here

Oils:
grapeseed oil
olive oil
macadamia nut oil
walnut oil
almond oil
sunflower oil
coconut oil
and more...

Acid/Astringent Liquids:
lemon juice
lime juice
apple cider vinegar
red wine vinegar
balsamic vinegar

Sweeteners:
agave syrup
maple syrup
fruit juice
dried fruit

Salts:
pink salt
grey salt
white sea salt
seasoned salt
herb-infused salt
smoked salt
*salt is important in these nut recipes - since you are using raw unsalted nuts you'll want to add your own salt in to sharpen and tone the flavors and texture in the recipe.

Beans and Purees:
Some folks like to add beans and purees to their recipes. Try garbanzo beans or sweet potato puree/mash to get started with this type of experimentation. If you like what you taste, you can get more creative with adding beans and mashes.

My Tools: Food Processor

Now onto a sample recipe that I created last weekend. It is spicy and sweet with a hint of garlic and creamy avocado. I actually used the avocado instead of adding oil to my recipe. Delicious! Great with chips, salsa or for a raw taco filling.

Recipe: Peppy Pepita Avo-Almond Dip
vegan, makes 3 cups (I halved the base recipe from above)

8 ounces raw almonds, soaked overnight
½ avocado
½ cup raw pepitas, soaked overnight
1 small jalapeno (seeds optional - seeds will make this extra spicy)
2 tablespoon agave syrup
2-3 tablespoon lime juice (about 1 small lime)
splash of apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon black pepper
½ teaspoon sea salt*
about 1 cup reserved 'nut soaking water'
optional: 1 tablespoon grapeseed oil
optional: ¼ cup orange juice in place of the soaking water liquid.
*note: salt to taste

Directions:

1. Soak nuts/seeds overnight.
2. Drain liquid, toss. Rinse seeds / nuts well with fresh water.
3. Place all ingredients into food processor (add fresh water + a bit of salt - a little at a time so that you don't over-liquefy)
4. Process until desired texture is reached. If you want a creamier dip - add another half of avocado.
5. Store in fridge to chill or serve as is. Add more lime and/or lemon juice or a layer of citrus slices to top layer when storing to prevent browning.

Somewhere between sixteen layers salads and extravagant veggie burgers and sandwiches I forgot about one of the best and simplest sandwiches out there: my TMT Pita. Here's my vegan makeover of the American classic, the BLT.

My TMT is Not Your Dad's BLT. To me, this pita tastes like summer. The flavors? Cheddar Tempeh. Mache. Tomato. Pepper. Vegenaise. Dijon. Serve it with some ice cold peach iced tea and consider it a summer vacation kind of lunchbreak. My recipe ahead...

My TMT. You may know this recipe as the BLT (Bacon Lettuce and Tomato). But I've given it healthy vegan makeover. More healthy nutrients and more veggie flavor! End result: The TMT. Tempeh. Mache. Tomato.

TMT. The first ingredient in a TMT is the tempeh. I LOVE tempeh! Learn more about tempeh here. I use a simple agave or maple-pepper saute and melt on some Follow Your Heart or Daiya brand cheddar cheese.

Mache. Mache, also called lambs lettuce is a flavorful leafy green worth trying! It's incredibly healthy: high in folate, vitamin C, A, K. Iron, fiber and more. Plus it has a tender nutty flavor that most kids and adults love. Learn more about Mache here.

Here's my tempeh recipe:

Easy Agave Cheddar Tempeh 'Facon'
vegan

½ block tempeh, sliced into thin strips
*About the size of a deck of cards makes about 7 thin strips.
1 ½ tablespoon agave syrup or maple syrup
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
¼ cup veggie broth or water
fresh ground black pepper
a few dashes of salt
Cheese: Vegan Cheddar
*I used Daiya Cheddar or Follow your Heart brands

To Make:

1. Turn saute pan on high.

2. Add oil and vinegar.

3. Add tempeh. When pan starts to sizzle, add veggie broth/water and cover pan with lid.

4. Steam should start to fill the inside of the pan cooking the tempeh through.
Uncover and drizzle the agave on top of the tempeh.

5. Sprinkle the salt and a few grinds of pepper on the tempeh as well. Turn heat on medium.

6. Flip tempeh strips. Bottom should be light brown and crisp. Cover pan again and saute for a few minutes. If needed add more liquid to prevent burning or drying out your tempeh. You can also shake the pan around once the tempeh is close to finished. Crisp, not burnt is the ideal tempeh.

7. Once both sides are browned add thin slices of cheese and an ice cube to the pan.
Cover immediately.

8. The steam from the ice will melt the cheese quickly. Remove tempeh from heat and allow cheese to cool and harden on the hot tempeh. Grind more pepper on the tempeh before the cheese firms up.

NOTE: You can also grill the tempeh by brushing it in EVOO/agave or maple - this will make a firmer style tempeh for your pita. I often grill tempeh right on my counter-top panini press.

Now the tempeh is ready for the TMT recipe....

TMT Pita. Tempeh. Mache. Tomato.
vegan

1-2 whole wheat pita pockets
Agave Cheddar Tempeh 'Facon' recipe above
1 cup mache lettuce
1 medium tomato, sliced thick
2 tablespoon dijon mustard
1 tablespoon vegenaise
generous amounts of fresh ground black pepper

Easy Assembly Steps:
1. Slice pitas in half. Toast pitas.

2. Add mustard and vegenaise to inside of pitas.

3. Add tomato slices.

4. Add tempeh strips.

5. Stuff in mache.

6. Grind in some fresh black pepper.

Enjoy! Serve with a tall glass of iced tea and a side of soy crisps of natural root veggie chips. Light bite full of nutrients, protein, fiber and vitamins.

You can also make this on regular bread, but the pita pockets allow for more of that delicious and healthy mache to get crammed inside the pita!

As a follow-up to my Vegan Ice Cream Goodies post, I bring you my Vegan Smores Ice Cream Sandwich Recipe. Gooey marshmallow swirled into creamy mounds of cool chocolate coco-soy cream. All smushed between two cinnamon graham crackers. Rolled in chocolate sprinkles. 100% vegan.

Two Recipe Versions. If you have an ice cream maker, you can try my recipe for vegan Smores Ice Cream. Made from a soy/coconut milk base. And if you don't have one, that's OK too - I have an alternate recipe version for you. Frozen Smores - a summertime treat! Indulge...

Frozen Party Treats. Make a huge batch of these smores for a summertime party and guests will be swooning. Frozen smores under the sweltering sun? Yes please!

Vegan Graham Crackers. It's quite a chore to find honey-free Graham crackers. If you eat honey, you will have no problems. I personally do eat honey, but if you don't, here are two honey-free grahams: Keebler low-fat Cinnamon Grahams and Health Valley Amaranth Graham Crackers. The Health Valley crackers have a better nutrition profile, but they are harder to find.

Store-Bought Vegan Ice Cream. My fave brands/flavors below. The chocolate flavor of any of these brands would work well for these frozen smores...

Turtle Mountain So Delicious and Soy Delicious
fave flavors: Chocolate Peanut Butter and Purely Decadent Cookie Dough
Living Harvest Tempt
fave flavor: Chocolate Fudge
Coconut Bliss
fave flavor: Vanilla Island

Ricemellow Creme. As I showed you in my goodies/toppings post, that I discovered fun, fluff-inspired vegan marshmallow creme at Whole Foods and I was dying to make some chocolate-marshmallow soycream with it. My recipe turned out beautifully - and naturally, smores ice cream sandwiches soon followed. Here is my recipe..

Frozen Smores! Smores Ice Cream Sandwiches
vegan, makes 4 sandwiches

4 graham crackers, broken into 8 square pieces
2-3 tablespoon chocolate vegan Sprikelz
1 ½ cups Smores Ice Cream (vegan recipe below)

Smores Ice Cream:

Ice Cream Maker Version One
1 part coconut milk
1 part vanilla soy milk
splash of vanilla extract
pinch of sea salt
dash of cinnamon
sweeten to taste with sugar
a few heaping spoonfuls of cocoa powder, to taste
*chill liquid mixture in fridge until ready to use*

ingredients note: I've kept this recipe general in amounts so that you can customize based on your size of machine.

Ice Cream Maker: proceed to make ice cream as directed by your machine.

Fold in: 4 tablespoon Ricemellow Creme after ice creme has processed.

Place in freezer until hardened.

Store Bought Version Two
1 ¼ cups chocolate coconut/soy/hemp cream, any brand
¼ cup Ricemellow Creme

When ice cream is slightly softened, fold in Ricemellow Creme. Return to freezer to harden.

Smores Assembly Directions:

1. Retrieve your hardened Smores ice cream from the freezer. Allow to soften very slightly.

2. Scoop 3-4 tablespoon of ice cream on top of a graham cracker square. Place top square on.

3. Roll edges of sandwich in sprinkelz.

4. Repeat for all 4 sandwiches. Place on wax paper or oil-sprayed surface and place in freezer to harden completely.

5. Serve a few hours later, or wrap more tightly and store for later indulgence.

Newsflash Coconut Water fans, ONE, One Natural Experience brand coconut water is now available at all Trader Joe's locations!

I'm plugging my ears to lessen the ravenous cheers and screams of joy.

"Excuse me, do you carry coconut water?" You don't know how many times I've heckled the TJ's employees about why they don't carry coconut water. This looks like it's turning out to be a very good year for wellness beverages hitting mainstream brands. First Starbucks Frapps go SOY - now Trader Joe's is hopping on the coconut water bandwagon! And you won't believe the cheap price!!...Gulp, gulp, gulp...

The Price. So as we all know, the most frustrating thing about coconut water is the price. 11 oz can run from $1.50 (on sale usually) up to $3 a pop at a very pricey corner or specialty store. The average price is about $2.

I called Union Square NYC Trader Joe's today and the somewhat confused clerk said the price was only $1.29. Now is that wholesale or retail? I'm not quite sure because the coconut water stock hadn't reached their store shelves just yet - the order was placed July 1st, he said. But if the $1.29 price quote holds true, all I can say is wow!

UPDATE: Called the Monrovia Trader Joe's location and YES they confirmed these prices:

1 liter: $2.99
11 0z: $1.29

yippee!

I'll be drinking a lot more coconut water. And using more coconut water ice cubes.

Hydrate with Coconut Water. In case you haven't heard, coconut water is low in calories compared to most 'sports hydration' style beverages. It is 100% natural and rich in hydration-helping electrolytes like potassium and manganese. Learn more about coconut water.

Trader Joe's. Find your closest Trader Joe's location on their website.

ONE: One Natural Experience, I love the ONE brand. Unlike another top coconut water brand, ZICO, who recently added a few from concentrate coconut water products to their line-up - ONE continues to stay a truly "natural experience".

Plus ONE has an amazing line-up of auxiliary beverages like cashew juice, ONE Water and even Splash flavors of coconut water.

One Natural Experience Products:

So I look forward to buying some ONE coconut water at Trader Joe's very soon. I'll let you know when I do... *big smile*

ONE Coconut Water
Trader Joe's

Tropical Pink Coconut Cashew Juice Smoothie:
"ONE" of my fave coconut water/ONE cashew juice smoothie recipes. I add a huge handful of coconut water ice cubes:

...this smoothie recipe is also a part of my Smoothies! iPhone App.

Walk Season is Coming! Soon the steamy summer air will turn crisp and cool and you know what that means: lots of marathons, 5k's and walks hitting city streets all over the nation. Why not join in the healthy, happy fun! Lace up your sneakers and get your blood flowing - all for a very good cause...

Farm Sanctuary Walk 2010. This year I'm super excited to be participating in Farm Sanctuary's 2010 Walk for Farm Animals. I'll be walking on October 24th 2010 in New York City.

Participate! There are Farm Sanctuary walks taking place all over the country! From Los Angeles to Portland - Washington DC to Tulsa. Join my team in NYC or find one in your own hometown. Not a walker? That's OK! You can still support the cause in a variety of ways. Visit my walk fundraising page here, or click ahead to learn 3 ways you can participate...

About the Walk - why it matters. Farm Sanctuary's annual Walk for Farm Animals raises awareness about the treatment of farm animals and raises vital funds to support Farm Sanctuary’s life-saving mission.

This year's Walk Spokesperson is Bob Harper, the personal trainer from NBC's The Biggest Loser.

By participating in or supporting a local Walk, you can make a real difference in the lives of farm animals by sending a powerful message of hope and creating a positive voice for change.

Three Ways to Participate:

1) Walk! Walk in NYC by "joining my team" - don't worry you can still walk at your own pace, on your own. You can also register to walk in another city.

2) Donate! Donate as much or as little as you can to sponsor me and my NYC team. (Even a $1 pledge makes a difference! - it all adds up) Sponsor my team here.

3) Spread the Word! You can help by re-tweeting this post on Twitter or posting it on Facebook - and other social networking outlets. You can even email it to friends/family who may be interested in participating. Send them to my event website: http://www.firstgiving.com/lunchboxbunch

I will be thanking each person who contributes in a special event wrap-up post on my blog. Please feel free to send in your "walk Photos" so that I can share them here.

Thank you in advance for your help.
As Farm Sanctuary says, a compassionate world begins with you.

More About Farm Sanctuary:

Farm Sanctuary works to end cruelty to farm animals and promotes compassionate living through rescue, education and advocacy.

Farm Sanctuary co-founder Gene Baur is an amazing inspirational force in the community of advancing animal rights and industry practices.

join me today -> http://www.firstgiving.com/lunchboxbunch

This week's Hot Plate Monday report:
* Dirt Candy is the first VEG restaurant on Iron Chef!
* LA Times Daily Dish features HHL!
* Jess gets VEGAN press, for real?
* iPad = iMenu?
* Top Vegan Blogger VegNews List Controversy?
* Still HOT outside. Chill.
...and much more in Hot Plate, Hot Plate News...

**HOT PLATE PIC** of the week:

LA Times Daily Dish feature of HHL:

LA Times Daily Dish Blog loved my LA Eats wrap-up post (above) so much that they featured in on their blog last Friday! I was thrilled - since I read Daily Dish everyday. Check it out: Combo Plate: Swedish sushi, vegan eats, Roger Ebert cooks and more

**NEWS/TRENDS/QUIPS**

DOLE Cook-Off Results: So no, I didn't win the top prize - but it was an unforgettable weekend - catch-up here:

My I Love LA List
Wrap-Up Part ONE: The Cook-Off.
Wrap-Up Part TWO: My Weekend in LA (Vegan eats Galore!)

..both wrap-up posts are overflowing with photos from the weekend.

Drum Roll Please!!... The First Veg restaurant to compete on Iron chef America!..

Dirt Candy's Amanda Cohen on Iron Chef?! Yes!! One of my very favorite vegan-friendly restaurants in the world (owned and run by one of my very fave veg chefs Amanda Cohen) is going to be featured on an upcoming episode of Food Network's Iron Chef! How awesome is that? Amanda faces off against Morimoto. Cool.

Read Amanda's Dirt Candy blog post on the upcoming event.
Read my Veggie Girl Power interview with Chef Amanda Cohen.
Dirt Candy NYC review by MrHHL
My Dirt Candy NYC review

"New York based Vegetarian Chef Amanda Cohen enters Kitchen Stadium to take on Iron Chef Morimoto. Will her vegetarian delicacies win over the judges, or will Morimoto take home the win? Tune in to see whose cuisine reigns supreme!" - event listing on FoodNetwork.com Tune In: Aug 29, 2010 10:00 PM ET/PT

COCONUT WATER comes to Trader Joe's. Yay for ONE brand coconut water. Only $1.29 per 11 oz. -> YES! ($2.99 for the 1 liter size)

Jessica Simpson getting a lot of press * PRESS * press * PRESS * press * PRESS off of her new found appreciation for vegan food - but is it for real?? Or do real girls still eat meat?

Newsflash: Eating well is addicting!! Start your new healthy habit today.. My proof.

It's Hot. 99* in NYC today. Chill out (7 healthy ways)

VegNews releases a Top 10 vegan bloggers list in their July 2010 issue - but there seems to be some controversy sparked by @Veggywood about who made the list. And yes, I agree - @QuarryGirl should totally grace the top 10. I kinda like my vegan blog too 🙂

Speaking on VegNews...super cool artist Peter Max designed the VegNews 10th Anniversary cover. Love his painted social networking twitter and facebook icons.

Eats/Sips: I'll have some wine with my (veggie) burger

iPad = Menu. Virtual reality food? Lets hope not.

Summer Recipe Fave! Who needs Tuna when you have Tu-nut!

Still Buzzing -> Picnics! I kinda love Le Pain's picnic-perfect hummus to-go. Or choose a vegan picnic sandwich and swim in the sun.

Food Gendering - men eat meat, women eat chocolate?

Summertime Kid Snack Tip. Update "Ants on a Log" by using almond butter/dried cranberries - call it "Ladybugs on a Log" - Get more Kid Recipe Ideas here.

First Place in the PB Recipe Exhibition, Smashed Chocolate Covered Cherry Panini. Prize: Peanut Butter and Company prize pack. Nice.

Fruit Find. Fuzzy Sweet Plum meets Apricot. See it.

Yum -> I missed Karina's fave Planet Raw while in LA! Darn.

Still Buzzing -> Summer Smoothies. Chow's Tofu Smoothie.
Smoothie Index online.
Smoothies anytime/anywhere: Smoothies! for iPhone.

Newsflash: I love my Crocs! I wore them through the Cook-Off and I have been wearing them all week. And they are cute too!

...more vegan shoes for summer here.

They're baaaack. Lunchables.

Bourdain. Caribbean. Cocktails. Video.

Food bloggers be afraid. Be very afraid.

Updated -> My Photography Portfolio

Women Chefs Make Less $$ -> boooo

twitpics - Missing --> THIS ...and this.

Summer Travel, Beach Bound?

**EVENTS**

NYC Food and Wine Festival Tix on sale now. Get them.

Beverly Hills gathers the foodies in town for the Taste of Beverly Hills! Sept 2-5, 2010.

Restaurant Week NYC starts July 12th! Reserve now...

July 31 and Aug 1 Farm Sanctuary NY Hoe Down!

VegFest DC: Sept 11, 2010
It's a while away, but plan ahead because VegFest DC is a fun, festive green gathering in our nation's capital.
Details at DCVegFest.com

PETA's 30 Year Gala. PETA's 30th Gala is this fall - Sept 25th, 2010 in Hollywood, Cali. Tickets and info here.

Don't forget to watch Chef Amanda Cohen on IRON CHEF on Aug 29th 10pm ET/PT.

**PHOTO** of the week:

Goooo Amanda! I salute the DC crew with some of my sticky ginger tofu cubes, from my Asian Tofu Salad Recipe:

**VIDEO** of the week

Are You Hungry? video. Watch it. Share it.

Don't forget to submit your green/foodie news, trends, hot plate pics and quips for next week's Hot Plate Monday Post! HotPlate (at) Lunchboxbunch (dot) com

Happy 4th of July everyone! Hope you are sipping, grilling, munching and crunching all your fave festive, healthy foods this holiday weekend. Beach-side, pool-side, park-side or city-side - take a few deep breaths today and celebrate with your favorite people and furry friends.

Hot Holiday! What's the weather like where you are celebrating? Here in NYC the heat is intense. It's hot! Any hopes of a Picnic in Central Park better lend themselves to find some serious shade. So aside from jumping into a big pool of ice cubes, here are my seven festive ways to chill out and cool off this holiday. Happy, healthy, chill-out 4th...

Seven Ways to Cool Off this 4th of July!!

1. Smoothies!
Blend up a fresh, fruity, healthy, happy smoothie with your friends and family today! And nix the same-old, same-old flavors. Try new vegan smoothie recipes like Calm Chamomile, Super Sinus, Razzle Dazzle Me, Triple Threat Acai, Strawberry Lemonade and Strawberry Short Cup! All these smoothie recipes are available on my Smoothies! IPhone App - recently launched. Buy it.

Or you can whip up this super festive Red, White and Blueberry Smoothie. Recipe here.

Red White Blueberry Smoothie:

Peruse my 100% vegan smoothie recipes in my drinks index as well.

2. Hot Cold Water Therapy.
One of my fave wellness tips is Hot/Cold Water therapy. It awakens your body and gets your blood flowing. Such a refreshing way to end or start a busy day. But today, I'd do a lot less of the hot water, and more of the cold. Read all about Hot/Cold Water therapy here.

3. Coconut Water Ice Cubes.
In your bevie glass or in your smoothie - coconut water ice cubes are a healthy way to stay hydrated and cool! You'll get a nice boost of hydration-helping electrolytes like potassium. Staying hydrated is important when you are outdoors in the heat, huffing, puffing and sweating on an active holiday. Coconut Water Ice Cubes info here.

4. Vegan Ice Cream!
Frozen Desserts for all this 4th! Even if you can't enjoy frozen treats from awesome NYC/LA joints like NYC's Lula's, STOGO or LA's Nice Cream - you can easily find a delicious vegan ice cream in a freezer section near you. Try Whole foods or another natural foods store for the best selection. Here are my fave vegan ice cream store brands:

Turtle Mountain So Delicious and Soy Delicious
fave flavors: Chocolate Peanut Butter and Purely Decadent Cookie Dough

Living Harvest Tempt
fave flavor: Chocolate Fudge

Coconut Bliss
fave flavor: Vanilla Island

...go for a banana split today, topped off with some rice or soy whip and vegan chocolate sprinkles. Happy 4th indeed!!

5. Don't Cook.
Turning on the stove in my NYC apartment is the best way to heat up and wilt away. Who wants a long drawn out battle between the oven and the AC? Not me! So I stick to a vast repertoire of no-cook classics. my fave no-cook meal? Sandwiches and Salads. Sandwiches are also perfect for a holiday picnic. A few of my vegan sandwich recipe faves for a hot day:

Bullseye Spiral Roasted Red Pepper Wraps
Vegan Club Sandwich - Fit for Two!
California Avo-Cheese Sourdough Sandwich
Mango Cream Crusty
Hummus Radish Pea Shoot Tartine
Cool Cucumber Mint Tea Sandwiches
Fire and Ice Panini
Pink Salt Cool Cucumber PB&J
Tarragon Chickenless Salad Sandwich
Tu-nut Sandwich
Sunny-licious Pesto Mango Pitas

See my entire index of vegan sandwich recipes here.

6. Beach-y Keen.
My favorite memories of the 4th of July are of walking down to the Santa Cruz California beach at dusk, cuddling myself under a squishy sweatshirt, plopping down on the cool sand to watch fireworks over the pier and roast smores with friends. A beach-filled 4th is still my favorite kind. And no, the beach isn't always the coolest place to park yourself during the day - but at night you can relax with a calming salty-wave of fresh sea breeze air. The sand will cool off and your toes can shed their shoes. If you can find a beach on the 4th - grab your spot on the sand - picnic in hand.

Vegan Smores Recipe - with Sweet and Sara Marshmallows.
Dandies Vegan Marshmallows - Review.

If you can get to the Hamptons NYC-ers, go for it! Hamptons Bliss. Hamptons Guide.

7. Cool off with Fresh Fruit!
Fresh fruit on a hot day can be a blessing to your body. Fresh fruit is rich in enzymes, vitamins, electrolytes, fiber, energizing calories - plus it has a high water content compared to dehydrating salty snacks like chips and pretzels. Go for chilled fruit for the best cool-off experience. Here are a few of my cool-you-off fruit faves:

Flag Fruit Plate
Melon Bowl Bliss
Paradise Found Fruit Plate
Lime Papaya Bowl - Chilled
Frozen Grapes

Flag Fruit Plate:

Healthy Happy Summer. Need more summertime eats ideas? check out my Healthy Makeover Summer Series! Featuring vegan recipes for your fave summer classics like hot dogs, giant pretzels, nachos, beachy pizzas and more!

Happy, Healthy (Chill) 4th Everyone!

ps - keep your furry friends away from fireworks...

My Smoothies! IPhone App: More info/Get it!

My raw, vegan Tu-Nut Sandwich has a creamy, flaky texture reminiscent of a tuna-style sandwich. And obviously, it's 100% vegan, fish-free! Dairy-free too. My Tun-Nut spread gets it's creaminess from soaked and blended raw almonds. No mayo added - not even the vegan kind! Add a nice handful of fresh chopped crisp celery, plentiful fresh black pepper, soft wheat bread or a stuff-it-full pita and voila!Easy vegan lunch, at home or on the go. Picnic perfect.

Tu-Nut. I'm not a huge fan of imitation, faux vegan-meats/fish. Read more about my views on veg fake-meat products here. But trust me, this isn't "fishy" at all!

This recipe texture brings me back to those days as a kid when I loved the creamy crunch of a tuna sandwich. My mom would whip together tuna/mayo/pepper/celery and spread it between two layers of soft bread. My favorite part: the crunchy celery bits - I'd always ask for more celery, less tuna. But now, my favorite part of Tu-Nut...is everything!

Even if you were never a tuna-sandwich fan, try this recipe - you will be in for an addicting lunchtime treat. Get my recipe...

One Bag of Raw Almonds = a full week of healthy lunch ideas and snacks! I usually soak 15 ounces of almonds at once and make 2-3 batches of nut spread for the week. One bag of almonds usually makes about 6 cups of spread. But for this recipe, you will be using 2 cups of soaked nuts. Simply double or triple the recipe if you want more.

A Batch of Tu-Nut before folding in celery bits:

Celery! I love celery in this recipe. I buy fresh organic celery and slice it into fine, crisp, juicy bits. Celery is also an excellent veggie tool for dipping! You can snack bread-free by spreading a nice dollop of Tu-Nut spread onto a few celery sticks. Crunch!! And yum.

Fun Kid Tip: Add a few raisins to the celery/Tu-Nut snack and call it a more textured version of Ants on a Log. Or use dried cranberries or pomegranate seeds and call it "Ladybugs on a Log" 🙂

Kathy's Tu-Nut Salad Sandwich
vegan, makes about 4 cups

2 cups soaked raw unsalted almonds, reserve salted soak-water
½-1 cup reserved water
1 cup marinated mushrooms, drained
2 tablespoon liquid from marinated mushroom container
*I used Trader Joe's Garlic Marinated Mushrooms - in a jar of flavorful vinegar
2 tablespoon grape seed oil
1 ½ tablespoon maple syrup (or agave)
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon sea salt
optional: ½ jalapeno with seeds - for spiciness
optional: additional herbs/spices like dried rosemary or fresh tarragon, basil or parsley

Fold-in:
½-1 cup celery bits
extra black pepper

Tools: 6-cup+ food processor
*you will need to blend in two batches if using a mini 3-cup food processor*

Directions:

1. Soak your almonds overnight - at least 6 hours. Add a few pinches of good salt to the soaking water. I use a seasoned black sea salt I bought at a specialty store.

2. When you are ready to process the almonds, add 2 cups of the soaked nuts to a food processor. Add about ½ cup of the soaking water as well. Next add the maple syrup, grape seed oil, garlic powder and a pinch of the salt and pepper.

3. Blend on medium/high until the mixture becomes blended into fine flaked scraps. Add more water if too dry. You do not want to over-process the nuts for this recipe because you want them to resemble a flaky tuna-inspired texture.

Tip: I will do two separate batches of this recipe, one that is processed into a super creamy, fine texture and one that is nice and chunky/flaky - then I will fold the two together in the end for my finished product.

4. Next, add in the mushrooms and mushroom marinade liquid. Any canned or bottled marinated mushrooms should work well. The brand I used were soaked in a vinegar/oil/garlic/seasoning mixture. Just make sure you use juicy marinated mushrooms - something dry and raw will require a few recipe modifications (like adding your own vinegar, much more liquid and extra seasonings).

5. Blend the almond/mushrooms mixture until you are happy with the texture. Pulsing is a good food processor setting to use. Do a taste test and adjust salt/pepper/sweetness/spices/water to your taste buds. If adding jalapeno, do it here.

6. Scoop out the finished product. Set aside.

7. Finely chop about ½-1 cup of washed/scrubbed celery. Fold the celery, plus a bit of additional black pepper into the mixture. You can also fold chopped tarragon, dill or flat-leaf parsley into the mix for an 'herbed' flavor.

8. Cover and chill in fridge for a few hours before serving for best taste/texture results.

9. Serve on sandwich bread or as a dip. Perfect for stuffing a pita. No other ingredients required to create a flavorful vegan sandwich you and your family will crave.

Vegan Dining in LA is easy, delicious and cravable. Plus the coastal backdrop of fresh sea breeze air and crisp sunny blue skies only adds to the dining ambiance. Lavender Lemonade and a zesty Twister Wrap tastes so much better wearing flip-flops and sunblock.

First check out part one of my LA post: my DOLE California Cook-Off wrap up, then dive into all the delicious details of my weekend. Check out all my highlights and a few low lights of my vegan eating (and site seeing) adventures in Los Angeles - lots of pics...

Arrival. We arrived Friday morning and hopped in our rental car. I was so excited to cruise the streets of my old neighborhood in Westwood and peruse the LA sites with my husband who was an LA newbie! Oh and I was most-excited about...eating vegan yummies at my fave spots! Check out my list of LA Faves here.

First stop, Native foods in Westwood. We were famished! Thank goodness for Native.

Native Foods in Westwood:

A giant counter case of Native Foods chocolate and vanilla vegan cupcakes. Who could resist?!

Not us...check out that frosting! My husband took a big bite before our main entrees even arrived. He's weak..for chocolate:

My Twister Wrap (organic greens, fresh avo/cucumber, chipotle sauce, grilled Native 'chicken'):

So good. A must try folks...

My husband got the Chicken Run Ranch Burger - nice and crispy. He loved it.

..we also sipped (well, chugged) some very refreshing Lavender Lemonade and Native Iced Tea.

I was a very happy Kathy after this meal!...

Next up, Andaz Hotel on Sunset Blvd. Here is the lobby. It was packed with people all weekend from the BET awards, a DJ convention and a few weddings:

I was happy to see free raw nuts and fruit/nut snacks in the room:

The Room Service menu even had a little "vegan" symbol - however the prices were typical prices (way too high!)
Side Note: Weird, but true - the french fries that were served with the vegan Portobello Burger were fried in duck fat! (Good thing my husband asked..but I'll get to that later..)

Our room view of the Hollywood Hills:

Later that night we grabbed a drink at the bar. This strawberry-basil bevie was delightful:

Then of course I had my DOLE Cook-Off event on Saturday. That evening we wanted something light - we tried to dine at an awesome restaurant on the Sunset strip - but it was so packed that we couldn't stand the 1-2 hour wait.

...So I'm ashamed to say, yes, we went back to the hotel to order Room Service. Bad idea....my $25+ vegan portobello burger was pretty bland and unfortunate. Not to mention almost being served the duck fat fries! Yikes. However, the vegetable vegan soup wasn't half bad. And I loved the hot mug of soy milk I ordered. Cozy bedtime sip. Kinda sad to watch my hubby slurp hot not-vegan cocoa, but at least they had soy milk.

Room service was the most expensive meal of our trip - and also the worst! We should've had a solid back-up plan. Oh well. Anyways - Back to the good LA eats...

Before we left, I had to dine at my favorite spot in LA Real Food Daily. We went to the West Hollywood location for Sunday lunch..

Sweet Green Juice and fresh OJ (added ginger for both):


Sea Cake Appetizer:

My Spicy BLT Wrap, tempeh bacon, fresh greens, side of Jalapeno Cashew Cheese, all vegan:

Dessert was the Strawberry Shortcake - the strawberry sauce was delish!

So Real Food Daily and Native Foods were my highlights, not surprisingly. I still need to get to a few new spots though! Like Veggie Grill, M Cafe and a handful of other spots that were on my must-try list.

More of My Adventure: Working Up an Appetite. If you are craving more pics from my LA adventures here ya go. A few beach adventures, Rodeo Drive and other fun classic LA pics (and FYI - my camera battery died for MANY of my shots) ...

Beverly Hills (what a thrill!):


Rodeo Drive Sites:




Malibu, Pacific Coast Highway Beach side:

Native Foods
Real Food Daily
Andaz Hotel

But really..my fave eats come from...ME 😉 ..